Abbey door is Britain's oldest

It has been in continuous use for almost 1000 years, and for a long time people wrongly believed that it was covered in flayed human skin.

The battered door inside London's Westminster Abbey was officially named as the oldest in Britain.

A spokesman for the Abbey said it dated back to the 1050s.

In the 19th century a legend sprang up that fragments of hide found on the door were the remains of a Medieval felon. However, modern analysis identified it as cow hide.

"It is incredible to think that when the door was made the Norman Conquest had not yet happened and William of Normandy was still a young man of about 20 years old," said Simon Thurley, chief executive of English Heritage.