It is the first premises for husband-and-wife team Martyn and Jen Nichol who have set up under the name Cathedral Lodge Antiques. The pair had been trading single pieces through various local shops but had been looking for a permanent space when they saw that the Lodge was available to rent.
“We were sitting on the wall outside the cathedral during the street market and saw it was up for rent,” Jen said. “We decided to have a look, but arrived thinking it was going to be too small inside.”
However the two-storey space proved ideal for the dealers whose stock includes anything from their ground floor selection of silver, jewellery, fine art and ceramics, to an Edwardian room set and modern collectables upstairs.
The couple also run the antiques and collectors fairs at the Greenhill Hotel near Wigton. For the time being, they will take a step back from the fairs while they focus on the running of the shop.
The Lodge, which was built in 1890, is on the grounds of Carlisle Cathedral. It has had many functions during its history and was most recently the bookshop for the Cathedral, which owns the space.
Cathedral Lodge Antiques opens November 8.
