Church antiques are objects that were originally made for, or used in, churches, chapels and cathedrals. Beyond furniture such as pews and lecterns, the term covers altar candlesticks and crosses, sanctuary lamps and lanterns, alms dishes, carved and painted figures, panelling, stained glass, vestments and other ecclesiastical textiles, hymn boards, bells and architectural fragments.
The Victorian period was a golden age of church building and furnishing, and many surviving pieces were designed in the Gothic Revival style by architects and specialist firms, often in brass, oak, pitch pine and painted or gilded wood. Earlier survivals, such as medieval carvings or seventeenth-century plate, are rare and generally remain in church or museum collections. Items reach the market as churches close or are reordered. In the Church of England, the disposal of furnishings is normally subject to permission through the faculty system, and buyers should be confident that any piece has been sold legitimately, since thefts from churches are a known problem. Collectors value quality of craftsmanship, age, completeness and any recorded history linking an object to a specific building. In domestic interiors, Gothic candlesticks, carved panels and lanterns bring a sense of history and a contemplative, architectural quality.
