The Secrets of Ancient Doors

Opening the door on the world of mediaeval and early modern houses

We might think of doors as purely functional – a way to ensure privacy and to get from one space to another. In some ways this is entirely accurate. However, the study of ancient doors can reveal so much more.

This talk will literally open the door on how doors are constructed, how we can understand how old a door is, and how doors were used in the past. It will also delve deeper to look at what the design of a door can tell us about the status of the room beyond, who was able to use certain doors but not others, and something of the folk beliefs surrounding doors.

The speaker, James Wright (Triskele Heritage), is an award winning buildings archaeologist. He has two decades professional experience of ferreting around in people’s cellars, hunting through their attics and digging up their gardens. He hopes to find meaningful truths about how ordinary and extraordinary folk lived their lives in the mediaeval period. He is the author of the popular Mediaeval Mythbusting Blog.


All you need to do is register via Eventbrite and – when the time for the talk rolls around – grab your favourite beverage of choice, get comfy and enjoy.

The event will take place at 19:00 GMT+1 on Thursday 12 October 2023 via Zoom. There will be a talk until approximately 20.15 GMT+1 and then a questions and answer session. It will end around 21.00 GMT+1.

Booking is now available via Eventbrite:


This lecture is crowdfunded through donation. It will be the debut of a new bespoke talk. There is no minimum donation so its possible to contribute as little or as much as you want. Your donation is your ticket and you will be sent a link to access the event by Eventbrite.

Please note that this live event will not be recorded and made available online afterwards.

If you have a question about the event – in the first instance please see our FAQs section. The answer will almost certainly be in there.

Eventbrite recommend using the most up to date version of Google Chrome to access the meeting.

If you have any problems accessing the event please email: james@triskeleheritage.com
This address will be monitored throughout the event.