Removals in Putney, from the river to Putney Hill

Removals Putney: mansion blocks, river houses and Edwardian villas

Much of Putney’s housing is described in unusual detail, because Wandsworth Council has drawn conservation areas over large parts of it and published an appraisal of each one. Those documents are written for planners, but they read like a survey for a removal crew: which streets are mansion blocks, which houses stand three storeys high, which front doors sit at the top of a flight of steps, where the front gardens have been paved for cars. We read the one for your street before we quote, and the notes below come from them.

Flat removals Putney: the mansion blocks by the river

The Putney Embankment conservation area, first designated in 1971, covers the riverside west of Putney Bridge, the river end of the High Street and the start of Lower Richmond Road. Its appraisal describes the curve of Lower Richmond Road as “flanked by the excellent mansion blocks on either side”, and names Kenilworth Court, Star and Garter Mansions and Ruvigny Mansions among the blocks in the area. Kenilworth Court was built in the early years of the twentieth century around its own courtyard. Ruvigny Mansions stands behind a rendered brick wall, with steps up to a raised entrance; the appraisal notes that the wall also protects the building from flooding.

For a removal, that means two things to settle before the day. First, the walk from the van to the front door: a courtyard, a gate or a flight of entrance steps all add carrying time, and a raised entrance means nothing can be wheeled in. Second, the inside of the block. Lift cars in buildings of this age vary a great deal, and some blocks have rules about booking the lift, protecting the common parts or moving only in set hours. We ask you, or the managing agent, for the lift size and any house rules, and plan the large pieces around them. Our guide to moving into a block of flats in London lists the questions worth putting to the agent.

House removals Putney: Deodar Road and the river gardens

East of the bridge, Deodar Road has its own conservation area, designated in 1985. The council’s appraisal describes mainly three-storey houses in semi-detached pairs, set back behind long front gardens, with longer rear gardens running down to the Thames. The 1880s railway bridge to Fulham crosses the street about two thirds of the way along. Many of the original front walls have gone, replaced by parking in the front gardens, and some of the larger houses have been divided into flats.

A three-storey house with a long front path is a carrying job more than a driving job. Beds and wardrobes from the top floor come down two flights, then travel the length of the garden to the road, so we send a crew of three or four rather than two, and we take apart anything that will not turn on the landing. If your drive is clear on the morning, the van may be able to stand closer to the door; if a car is parked on it, we plan from the kerb instead. The road itself is reached from Putney Bridge Road, which is the way our vans come in.

West Putney: Edwardian villas, conversions and basements

South of Upper Richmond Road, the West Putney conservation area, designated in 1986, covers what its appraisal calls a later Victorian and considerable Edwardian suburb, built on former fields, much of it by the Leader Estate. Gwendolen Avenue had been laid out by 1893. Along Upper Richmond Road itself many of the original villas have been replaced by flats or extended for flat conversions, and in parts of the area, such as the terrace in Howard’s Lane, houses sit raised over basements with deep lightwells in front.

That gives West Putney moves a pattern of their own. An upper flat in a converted villa often means a shared hall and a staircase that was built for one family, so the widest pieces may have to come out through a window or not at all; it is worth measuring them against our checklist for furniture that will not fit through the door. A raised ground floor means a flight of steps outside, and a basement flat means steps down from the pavement into the lightwell. If you are moving into or out of the lower flat, our notes on moving into a basement flat in London explain what to measure first.

Putney Lower Common: cottages and a bus stand

To the west, the Putney Lower Common conservation area, designated in 1978, is a group of houses facing the open common. The cottages in Commondale were among the first permanent homes built there, and the cottages at nos. 217 to 235 Lower Richmond Road date from 1882. The appraisal records that the three cottages at nos. 2 to 4 Putney Common have a bus stand opposite, which leaves no room for residents to park in the street. Small houses like these load quickly, but only if the van can stop near them, so for a cottage move we look at the bus stand and the nearest legal space before we decide which size of van to send.

Office removals Putney: above the High Street shops

Putney High Street is lined with terraces of shops, and many have offices or flats on the floors above, reached by their own door and a single staircase. At the river end, the newer Putney Wharf mixes restaurants on the ground floor with homes upstairs. Moving a small office out of one of these upper floors is mostly about the stairs and the time of day: we work after the shops close or at the weekend, carry desks and cabinets down in sections, and keep the pavement clear. Our guide to the order of jobs for a small office move sets out what to do first.

Piano removals Putney: steps, stairs and heavy pieces

The same features that slow an ordinary Putney move matter far more with a piano. An upright going up the entrance steps of a raised villa, or down into a basement lightwell, needs a crew who have done it before, straps, a piano board and enough hands for the steps. A grand in a first-floor mansion flat depends entirely on the lift or the staircase. Our article on how to move a piano explains why we ask for the make, the size and a photo of the route before we price it.

Ring 020 3983 5199 with your SW15 street, the floor you live on and whether there is a lift or steps. We will come back with one fixed price.

Putney removals: guide prices

Guide figures for SW15 homes, before we know the floor, the steps and the parking:

A top-floor mansion flat without a lift, or a three-storey house with a long front path, sits towards the top of its band. A Wandsworth bay suspension is added at the council’s own fee. Your fixed quote replaces these figures.

Around Putney

Putney runs from the Thames at Putney Bridge up the hill towards Putney Heath. Barnes lies to the west beyond the Lower Common, Wandsworth Park and Wandsworth town to the east, Roehampton to the south-west and Southfields to the south-east, with Fulham across the bridge. The neighbouring areas with their own pages are: