I recently had the pleasure of photographing Church Antiques, an intriguing company, specialising in ecclesiastical fittings and furniture. Their showroom in the Surrey countryside is a remarkable place, where once venerated objects are warehoused and prepared for their new lives in the secular world. The business started almost by accident, when Lawrence (pictured below) and his business partner Steve, came across some builders breaking up the pews of a church they were clearing, and throwing them in a skip. On impulse he offered to buy the remaining furnishings which he then sold at a profit the same day. That was in the 1980s, a time when people were perhaps less aware of the value of architectural salvage. Although times have changed, Church Antiques are still thriving, selling their wares to a diverse clientele including interior designers, prop companies, theatres and, perhaps surprisingly, churches.
