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A typical ‘lightning conductor’ beam from 1718, as it was installed vertically in half-timbered houses near entrances or at corners. It's dark brown, very much thicker than normal beams. Here, it's standing beside a museum door at a corner. The beam was typically made from a special "magic" tree and had a kind of plait pattern at the corner. People believed this pattern would guide the lightning into the earth without harming the house.