The Doors

The huge doors at the Porters' Lodge have been renewed. The old ones had begun to rot and the decision was taken to replace them wholesale. It has been a huge job. The massive original hinges were retained, but the changes of weight meant that the lintels shifted slightly. In the picture you can just see at the bottom of the left door where the stonework has cracked and is being reset. Then of course even hardwood will swell slightly when brought out into the open and they had to be planed to fit. An easy enough job on a normal sized external door but for these a huge undertaking.

I asked the Bursar if he knows whether the doors had ever had to be renwed before. He did not know. Possibly the old ones were the 18th century originals.