How old is this door?

[KrispyNoodles]

Hi,
I was wondering if it is possible to date this door at all?
It is the front door to our mid 1800's cottage and is noted in the grade 2 listing. The cottage has had a lot of work done by previous owners, including 2 extensions in the 70's and 80's, and looks mostly modern. It was originally 2 cottages, but is now one, and has some exposed timber beams in the hallway.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Cubist]

Very hard to say how old it may be. The door itself is a fairly typical example of a plank and ledge(r) design and made of oak. The planks appear to be tongue and groove as opposed to lap jointed and the interior photo suggests - because of the much lighter shade of the wood in the gaps between the planks - that the body of the door is relatively new. Also, after more than a hundred years you could reasonably expect to see a build up of waxy dirt deposits in the gaps. The surface colour of the interior planks suggests that wax has only rarely been applied indoors and the wood has never been subjected to 'fuming' or a stain/dye of any kind.
Lap or Butt jointed planks would indicate greater age but T&G has been in common use since the mid 18C so no real clues there. The obviously older door furniture may provide some indications but many of these designs are still in manufacture today and unless you could find a makers mark of some kind you would need help from an artisanal specialist to date the letter box or rim lock but these, at least, are in keeping with the Victorian period.

The use of butt hinges is a little puzzling. Typically these would be used with a door constructed of thicker timber than that normally found with plank and ledger doors as theres not enough 'meat' in the timber around the screws to resist more than a couple of kicks from a heavy boot. Normally strap hinges would be used for this door type.

 

[Itchinfilth]

The door is relatively modern with a mish mash of slightly older door furniture used.