When you say the word “door” what springs to mind? Is it a solid, stately entrance to a home, proud of its formidable size, classic colour and shiny brass fittings? Or is it an image of Alice in Wonderland scampering past hundreds of identical wooden structures? Perhaps, it is a single member of the eponymous rock band? For most people the word “door” conjures up a picture of a solid piece of wood, working as an entrance to a property or room. But they are more than that, so much more….
Doors have been an important piece of interior design dating back to Egyptian times. Doors were either single or double pieces of wood; some were simple, others embellished with carvings and possibly brass, silver or even gold. Nearer to home, great excitement was recently generated, as the oldest door in Europe was unearthed by a group of Swiss archeologists. It was found at a site earmarked for the new underground car park for Zurich's opera house, and is possibly 5,000 years old. To put that into perspective, it was built in 3063BC, just as Stonehenge was being constructed.
