SOUVENIR hunters will be able to grab a piece of York's Barbican Centre when the York building's interiors are auctioned off in a public sale later this month.

Items from the Barbican's kitchen, cafs, bars and offices will all be sold off when representatives of York Auction Centre conduct the sale at the Fishergate leisure centre on Wednesday, December 15.

The centre has negotiated with City of York Council to handle the auction - one of the more intriguing for the Murton-based auction house which specialises in selling livestock.

Richard Tasker, who will be conducting the auction, said the sale would include the "remainder of the contents" of the Barbican Centre.

The Barbican closed following the conclusion of the UK Snooker Championships last month and will not reopen again until Absolute Leisure's massive revamp is complete.

Shane Chalmers, of Total Leisure Management, the council-run body which has managed the centre, said the sale was for equipment which had not been distributed to other departments in the authority. All monies raised from the sale will be ploughed back into the council.

Mr Chalmers said: "These are things like catering equipment, tables and chairs from the caf, some equipment from the bar, glasses and fridges.

"This sale is for equipment which we do not have any space to store and, while there will be certain pieces of equipment left for Absolute Leisure when they arrive, they will be bringing in their own things during the refurbishment.

"Rather than take all of these things off to the auction centre, we thought it would be much easier to hold the auction at the Barbican itself."

Mr Chalmers said the auction, which will start at 11am, would be the last opportunity members of the public would have to step inside the Barbican Centre before it is revamped.

"You can take a piece of it with you," he said. Mr Tasker said he was looking forward to conducting the auction. "The sale is confirmed. It is just something a little bit different."

Updated: 10:06 Monday, December 06, 2004