Barnet Council plans to auction off artefacts from the former Church Farmhouse Museum in Hendon.

An auctioneer in Warwickshire is currently cataloguing dozens of items which used to be on display at the museum in Church End before it was closed by the council in March, 2011.

When the authority withdrew its £126,000 annual funding and the museum’s staff were made redundant, concern mounted over the future of the collections which had taken years to assemble.

Councillor Pauline Coakley-Webb, who has researched the whereabouts of the artefacts, said: “It’s going to be really sad day when these items are sold. It’s selling off our history and our heritage.

“Some may have a monetary value and some may not, but they reflect our history. They show how we once lived and what we once had in our houses.

“It’s the memories and mementoes from people that lived in the borough. You can’t just replace that kind of stuff.”

The auction list includes domestic items such as tea pots and candle sticks as well as jewellery and furniture.

Cllr Coakley-Webb said: “I’d have liked to have seen either as much as possible offered to Barnet Museum or other museums and have the rest stored for future generations.”

A council spokesman said: “Many items from Church Farmhouse’s collection have been re-homed with other museums and collections, including Barnet Museum. Other items of local importance have been retained by the council in the borough’s archives at Hendon Library.

“Some of the collection is due to be auctioned next month with the intention that the proceeds be used to help support and develop heritage work and the future use of items retained by the council.”