6 Art And Antique Storage Specialists UK Collectors Should Know

A chest of drawers can sit in a lock-up for months with no complaints. A set of watercolours or a lacquered cabinet cannot. Renovations, probate, downsizing and overseas postings all create the same problem for collectors: where do you put something irreplaceable while life sorts itself out?

Ordinary self-storage was built for boxes and furniture that can take a knock. Art and antiques need handlers who know how old joints, frames and finishes actually behave and storage that’s planned around the object rather than the square footage. Here are six UK names worth knowing when that’s the brief, starting with one that’s been in the removals trade since 1958.

Best for Long-Term Art and Antique Storage Backed by a Royal Warrant – Abels Moving Services

Abels Moving Services has been moving and storing people’s belongings since 1958 and today runs house removals, international moves and commercial relocations across the UK alongside a nationwide network of climate-controlled storage facilities. That storage network sits behind a dedicated art and antique storage service, built for fine art, antiques and valuable household collections rather than everyday boxes and flat-pack furniture.

What sets the firm apart on paper is the Royal Warrant for Removals and Storage Services, tied to work carried out for the Royal Household. It’s not a credential many removals companies in the country can point to and it sits alongside more than 60 years of trading history.

A single point of contact runs the whole project, with a dedicated move manager handling the packing, the storage arrangement and the handover back, so a collection doesn’t pass between departments on its way into storage and out again. That’s a useful detail for anyone storing art or antiques during a house move, a renovation, or a longer spell abroad, since it’s usually one disruption too many to also be chasing three different teams for updates.

Best for a Recognised Removals Brand – Pickfords

Pickfords is built around professional house removals and secure self-storage. It’s one of the longest-running names in UK removals. It’s a straightforward pairing: a move handled by the same company that then stores what doesn’t travel on to the new address.

For a standard house move with some storage attached, that’s rarely an issue. For a valuable collection, it’s worth checking what handling and storage options sit behind the general service before booking.

Best for Nationwide Removals Coverage – Britannia Movers

Britannia Movers markets itself on reach, with 40+ locations feeding into a nationwide removal company that also covers overseas moves and storage. That kind of spread suits anyone moving between regions or relocating from a rural area, where a more local firm might mean a longer drive for the crew.

That’s a fair description for most house moves and worth bearing in mind if an antique collection needs more tailored handling than a general removal slot provides.

Best for Domestic Moving Award Credentials – Bournes

Bournes offers removals, storage, shipping, and relocation under one roof and picked up Domestic Mover of the Year at the 2023 awards. That’s a specific, named recognition rather than a vague claim and it’s useful shorthand for anyone comparing domestic movers on reputation alone.

The storage and shipping side sits broader than any one specialism, so it reads as a full-service mover first. For a straightforward domestic relocation with storage attached, the award is a reasonable signal of quality. For a collection with particular handling needs, it’s worth asking what that storage actually involves before assuming it matches a specialist setup.

Best for International Relocation Volume – PSS International Removals

PSS International Removals calls its focus international removals and says it assists thousands of people moving abroad from the UK each year. Volume at that scale suggests a business built around the logistics of overseas moves, customs paperwork and shipping schedules rather than domestic jobs.

That focus is also the limitation. A company built around moving people and belongings abroad in volume is a different proposition from one built around storing a sensitive collection locally for months or years. Anyone needing both an overseas move and interim storage for valuables would want to check how the two parts of the job connect.

Best for Convenient London Relocations – Top Removals

Top Removals positions itself around professional London removals, covering homes, businesses and overseas relocations and describes itself as fully insured, accredited and available seven days a week. Weekend and evening availability is a genuine convenience for anyone trying to fit a move around a working week.

The London focus is the trade-off. It’s a sensible pick for a move within or out of the capital, less obviously the right call for someone needing a nationwide storage network for a collection that might sit in a facility for a year or more.

What to check before you book storage for a valuable collection

Not every removals company handles art and antiques the same way a general house move gets handled, so a few questions are worth asking before anything goes in a van. Ask whether the firm packs and crates pieces itself or subcontracts that part out, since a handover between companies is one more point where damage can happen.

Ask how the storage facility is run day to day, not just where it is. A unit that’s climate-controlled matters more for wood, canvas and paper than it does for a sofa and it’s a fair question to put to any provider before signing anything.

Ask who you’ll actually speak to once the collection is in storage. A single contact who knows the job from packing through to collection saves a lot of repeated explaining, particularly over a storage period that runs into months rather than weeks. If the move itself is part of a bigger office or household relocation, this guide to local house removals across the UK is a useful companion read and anyone worried about a booking falling through has a separate piece on what to do if a moving company cancels at the last minute.

Weighing it up when the collection matters more than the box count

Most of the names above cover removals and storage competently and several bring real points in their favour, from Britannia’s 40+ location network to Bournes’ 2023 award and PSS’s volume of international moves. None of that is a reason to pick against them for a standard house move or relocation.

A valuable collection changes the calculation. For anyone storing fine art, antiques or a household collection built up over years, rather than just furniture between addresses, the combination that stands out is a storage network purpose-built for that kind of item, a single point of contact running the job and a Royal Warrant earned through work for the Royal Household. That’s the specific case where Abels edges ahead of the pack. Anyone else on this list is a solid choice for a move. For the collection itself, the storage side is where the decision gets made.