Moving an antique, a piece of art or anything fragile is a different job to moving a sofa, and the Bros treat it that way. Bearded Bros has handled Brighton house moves since 2013, many of them in the city's period terraces and Regency conversions, where a single cabinet or mirror is often the piece a customer worries about most. This guide covers what actually happens to a fragile or valuable item on moving day, from the first assessment through to insurance and access.
If you're moving something you'd genuinely hate to lose, here's the short version: tell the team about it before moving day, ask how they'll wrap and load it, and check it's properly declared for cover. The rest of this guide explains why each step matters.
Brighton and Hove has an unusual concentration of period property: Regency terraces, Victorian conversions, and flats above the antiques trade in the Lanes. Many of our customers are downsizing from, or moving into, a home built long before flat-pack furniture existed. Their belongings reflect that. A move here is more likely than most to involve a piece of furniture that's been in the family for decades, a set of glass-topped tables, or artwork that's actually worth something.
That's not a reason to be more nervous about moving day. It's a reason to work with a team that treats fragile and valuable items as a normal part of the job, not an afterthought, and the Bros are used to both.
Every fragile or valuable item gets individual attention, not just a wrap and a hope. Here's the process, step by step.
Before they touch anything, the Bros look at what they're dealing with: the item's shape, weight, how it comes apart, and the route it needs to travel to the van. This is also when they flag anything needing a different approach, like a piece too fragile to carry down a particular staircase in one go.
Different items need different protection: dish packs, bubble wrap, packing paper and cell dividers for fragile pieces, foam corners and specific wrapping for mirrors and TVs. The Bros wrap each piece individually, rather than grouping it into a shared box with unrelated items.
The Bros wrap furniture in blankets, straps and edge protectors, and use shrink wrap on soft furnishings. They plan where fragile and high-value items sit before loading starts, so nothing else presses against them and nothing shifts in transit.
Not every fragile item behaves the same way, and treating them all identically is how damage happens.
Mirrors and glass tops are flat, heavy for their size, and vulnerable at the edges. The Bros wrap them flat, protect the corners, and carry them upright rather than laying them beneath other items.
Artwork varies enormously depending on whether it's framed, glazed, on canvas or on board. A glazed frame needs protection against the glass itself, not just the frame edges. Canvas needs protecting from anything pressing into the surface.
Clocks, particularly longcase or mantel clocks with a working mechanism, often need the crew to secure the mechanism or remove the pendulum before the move, so movement doesn't damage anything inside. If you have a working clock, mention it when you book so the crew knows to ask about this rather than assuming it's just another cabinet.
Antique furniture with veneer, inlay or old joints can be more fragile than it looks, even when it feels solid. Wrapping and carrying it whole often works better than dismantling it, since older joinery doesn't always go back together as cleanly as flat-pack furniture does. The Bros can dismantle and reassemble on request. Flag it at the quote stage rather than on the day.
Removals insurance works on a declared value basis, and it's easy to under-declare a single high-value item by accident. Bearded Bros' standard liability cover on hourly rate moves runs up to £5,000 of declared value, based on what you state on your acceptance and inventory forms. If your total exceeds that, you can add liability cover, charged according to the value you declare.
The important point for antiques and valuables specifically: standard cover typically excludes items of unusual value unless you declare them. A single antique cabinet, a piece of art, or a fine dining set can easily be worth more than the rest of a room's contents combined. A general household total won't automatically account for that. If you don't flag it separately, it may not properly cover you if something goes wrong.
So before your move:
There's also a packing distinction worth knowing. If the Bros pack an item, the goods-in-transit and public liability cover on your quote covers any damage. If you've packed something fragile yourself, that cover typically doesn't extend to damage tracing back to how it was packed, since the crew never saw what went into the box. For anything you're genuinely anxious about, a part pack covering just those pieces is usually the safer call.
For the full detail on what removals insurance covers, what it excludes, and how to ask the right questions before you book, see our guide: Removals Insurance: What You Are Actually Covered For.
A fragile item is only as safe as the route it travels to the van. Brighton's period housing stock throws up some genuinely awkward routes: narrow streets in North Laine, Kemptown and parts of Hove near the seafront, terraced houses in Hanover, flats above shops on Western Road with no lift.
None of this is unusual for the Bros, and awkward access is a regular part of the job. When you get a quote, the team asks about:
Sometimes, honestly, an item genuinely will not go up or down a particular staircase in one piece. Where that's the case, the crew will say so rather than force it. They'll talk through the options: dismantling, an alternative route, or specialist equipment beyond a standard move. Flag a large or awkward piece in advance, ideally with a photo or video walk-through, so that conversation happens before moving day rather than on the landing.
Getting a van close enough to avoid a long carry makes a real difference too. Our parking guide for Brighton and Hove covers permit zones and when a bay suspension is worth arranging.
Not everything can go on the van, and a firm that pretends otherwise isn't being straight with you. Bearded Bros won't transport gas cylinders or flammable liquids. The team also can't carry customers in the vehicle. Both come up more often than you'd think during a house clearance, so check early if you have anything that might fall into those categories.
For anything unusually large, structurally awkward, or of significant value, the honest answer is: say so when you book, and the Bros will tell you plainly whether it's something they can handle as part of a standard move or whether it needs a different arrangement. That conversation, before moving day, is what protects both the item and your peace of mind.
When the move includes things that matter to you, it helps to know who you're dealing with. Bearded Bros holds eight accreditations, and on a move involving antiques or valuables, several of them do real work rather than sitting as a badge on a footer.
Here's what each of the eight actually covers:
You can see the full detail on all eight on our accreditations page.
Moving something irreplaceable is stressful. Tell the team about the antique, the mirror, or whatever you're genuinely anxious about, and they'll plan the job around it.
Have a look at our house removals service in Brighton for what's included on a standard move, or see our packing services if you'd rather have the fragile items professionally packed and handle the rest yourself.
We're a BAR-accredited, employed and trained removals team, and we move antiques and valuables as a regular part of house removals across Brighton and Hove. We use individual wrapping, careful loading and clear insurance. If you have a particularly unusual or specialist item, mention it at the quote stage and we'll talk through exactly how we'll handle it.
Declare it separately on your acceptance and inventory forms with a realistic, like-for-like replacement value, rather than folding it into a general household total. Standard liability cover on hourly rate moves runs up to £5,000 of declared value. You can add cover if your total is higher. Ask directly at the quote stage whether your specific item is covered.
Tell us in advance, ideally with a photo or short video, so the crew can plan the route before moving day. If a piece genuinely won't go down a particular staircase in one piece, we'll say so. We'll talk through the options, including dismantling where appropriate or an alternative route.
If the Bros pack an item, our goods-in-transit and public liability cover applies to any damage. If you pack it yourself, that cover typically doesn't extend to damage caused by how it was packed, since the crew never saw what went into the box. For anything you're anxious about, a part pack covering just those items is usually the safer option.
Yes. We won't transport gas cylinders or flammable liquids, and we can't carry customers in the vehicle. Beyond that, tell us about anything unusually large, fragile or valuable when you book. We'll be upfront about whether it's part of a standard move or needs a different arrangement.
