Crated, not blanketed
Fine art and antiques
Items where the packing has to be built rather than wrapped.
Most furniture is protected by wrapping it. A proportion of what comes out of London houses cannot be treated that way at all: gilt frames that mark if touched, marquetry that reacts to moisture, longcase clocks that have to be dismantled in a particular order, mirrors that will not survive being stood on a van floor.
For those, the packing is constructed around the object rather than applied to it. A crate is built to the item, the item is supported inside it so nothing bears on a vulnerable edge, and it travels secured to the vehicle rather than stacked.
This is slower and costs more, and for the right objects it is the only sensible way to do it.
What careful handling actually involves
We record condition before anything is touched — photographs and written notes of existing marks, losses and repairs. That protects both of us, and it is the only way to be clear afterwards about what happened when.
Frames and gilt surfaces are handled with the frame itself carried, never the canvas or the glass, and are wrapped so that nothing rests against the gesso. Glazed works get taped against shatter travel.
Clocks, barometers and anything with a pendulum or a movement are immobilised or removed before transit by whoever normally services them. We coordinate with your restorer or horologist rather than attempting it ourselves.
Period furniture is moved with the joints in mind. Old glue blocks and loose tenons fail under lifting loads that modern furniture shrugs off, so pieces are carried from their structural points, not their arms or their tops.
If an item genuinely warrants a specialist fine-art shipper rather than a removals firm, we will say so. There is a line, and knowing where it sits is part of the job.
The other disciplines
Next step
Does this describe your move?
Tell us the address, the scale and anything unusual. We will arrange a survey and set out a plan rather than a bare number.