Specialist Antique & Fine Art Moving

The Care Your Valuables Deserve

Antiques, fine art and heirlooms need more than ordinary packing. Our specialist team assesses each piece and uses the right materials and techniques — acid-free wrapping, made-to-measure crates and padded transport — to protect against knocks, vibration and climate during the move.

Our LAPADA membership reflects our commitment to the standards expected by dealers, collectors and estate agents such as Fine & Country. We also offer a dedicated white-glove service for the highest level of care.

Handling Each Type of Antique on Its Own Terms

No two antiques behave the same way under transit, which is why our specialist team assesses every piece individually before a single item leaves the property. A longcase clock, for example, must never be moved upright with its pendulum and weights still hanging — the suspension spring is a fragile sliver of brass that snaps under the slightest jolt. We dismantle the movement, secure the pendulum and weights separately, immobilise the bob, and pad the hood and trunk independently so the case and mechanism travel without stress. Marble tops and sculpture are deceptively vulnerable; although the stone feels solid, it shears along hidden veins, so we always transport marble on edge rather than flat, fully supported on padded battens, never laid down where its own weight can crack it. Gilt frames demand a no-contact approach because the water-gilded gesso lifts at the lightest touch of bare skin, so we handle them in cotton gloves and corner-protect the ornamentation before soft-wrapping. From chandeliers stripped of their lustres and catalogued drop by drop, to ceramics nested in custom foam, to oil paintings faced and travel-framed against canvas flex, each category follows its own protocol. If you are planning a move within the county, our dedicated antiques moving service in West Sussex page sets out exactly how this local expertise is delivered.

Soft-Wrapping or Bespoke Crating — Choosing the Right Protection

Not every antique needs a crate, and not every antique is safe without one. The skill lies in matching the protection to the object. For robust case furniture travelling a short distance in a dedicated, blanket-lined vehicle, expert soft-wrapping in clean export blankets, acid-free tissue and breathable covers is often the most appropriate method — it cushions, it breathes, and it avoids trapping moisture against polished surfaces. But for the genuinely fragile, the irreplaceable or anything bound for a long journey, a bespoke crate built to the exact dimensions of the piece is the gold standard. We build timber crates lined with high-density foam that immobilise the contents completely, isolating them from shock and vibration. Our custom crate service and our fragile packing specialists work hand in hand so that mirrors, marble, glass cabinets and gilded objects each receive precisely the casing they require. When the piece is destined for shipping overseas, our export packing service adds vapour barriers and case-hardened construction to meet international transit demands.

Deliveries to Auction Houses, Fairs & Dealers

A great deal of our work involves moving pieces not from one home to another but into the trade itself — consignments to auction houses ahead of a sale, stock delivered to antiques fairs on tight set-up schedules, and acquisitions transported between dealers. These jobs carry their own pressures: fixed delivery windows, loading-bay restrictions, and the expectation that goods arrive sale-ready and pristine. We coordinate directly with saleroom porters and fair organisers, arrive within the booked slot, and unload in a manner that respects both the venue and the value passing through it. Because we are a LAPADA member — the Association of Art & Antiques Dealers — we understand the conventions and the paperwork of the trade from the inside, which is precisely why we are recommended by names such as Fine & Country, Justin Lloyd and Mansell McTaggart. Should a piece need to be held between collection and a future sale, our secure antiques storage facilities bridge the gap in clean, monitored conditions.