Man and van in City of London
In the Square Mile a move is planned around a booked lift, a loading bay with a time limit and, for offices, an evening slot.
Covering The Barbican, Golden Lane, Smithfield, Bank, Aldgate and Blackfriars.
From estate office to evening slot: a man and van in City of London
Your first call is not to a driver. At the Barbican or Golden Lane you arrange the service lift and the loading point with the estate office. Only then does a moving date mean anything.
With that settled, you book the van to match. On the day it comes in off the red-routed approaches, works through narrow one-way streets to the loading point, and the crew carries from there to your door.
Lifts to book at the Barbican, Golden Lane and Smithfield
The Barbican is a large estate of flats and maisonettes with its own access rules, underground parking and service lifts, and Golden Lane next door works in much the same way. Neither is a place to turn up and hope.
Converted warehouse flats around Smithfield and Aldgate usually have a goods lift with its own booking system. Reserve it as you would at the estates, and ask how long it is yours.
A Barbican maisonette adds stairs inside the home to the lift outside it, which slows loading.
- Your estate or building, and flat or maisonette
- The lift you have booked, and for which hours
- Where you have been told to load
- Whether your office only allows moves after hours
Red routes and timed loading bays across the Square Mile
Nowhere in London is harder to stop a van. Every main approach is a red route, so during controlled hours the driver cannot pull in at all. Side streets are narrow and often one-way, so a missed turning means going round again.
Much of the area is loading-bay-only, and those bays have a time limit. So have everything boxed, dismantled and stacked by the door before the crew arrives, and the time on the bay goes on carrying, not packing.
Estate flats by day, office floors after hours
Almost every job here is one of two things. The first is house removals from a flat in the Barbican, Golden Lane or a warehouse conversion.
The second is the office relocation. Most office buildings will not allow one during business hours, so it happens in the evening or at the weekend. Those slots book up fast: agree the date with building management, then find a man with a van to fit it.
What your quote covers inside the Square Mile's charging zone
The Congestion Charge and ULEZ are already in your City2City quote, so there is nothing extra to pay for either on the day.
The lift and the loading point are a different matter. Those are yours to arrange with the estate office or building management, before the day.
- Book the Barbican or Golden Lane service lift and loading point with the estate office before fixing a date.
- Warehouse flats around Smithfield and Aldgate usually have a goods lift with its own booking system.
- No stopping on the red-routed approaches in controlled hours; elsewhere, loading bays are time-limited.
- Office moves are usually only allowed in the evening or at the weekend, and those slots go quickly.
Congestion Charge and ULEZ in City of London
The City of London lies inside the Congestion Charge zone. Your City2City quote includes the charge and ULEZ, so nothing is added on the day.
ULEZ and any charge are in the driver’s price. How pricing works
What a move from City of London costs
Other areas close to City of London
N1, N5, N7, N19, EC1
E1, E2, E3, E14
SE1, SE5, SE15, SE16, SE22
E2, E5, E8, E9, N1, N16
Moving in City of London: your questions
Yes, and for offices it is usually the only choice. Most office buildings only permit moves outside business hours, which is why evenings and weekends fill up fast.
At the Barbican and Golden Lane, yes. The estate office books the service lift and says where the van can load. Warehouse flats around Smithfield and Aldgate usually have a goods lift booking system instead.
Rarely. The main approaches are red routes with no stopping in controlled hours, and much of the rest is loading-bay-only with a time limit. Have everything ready by the door when the crew arrives.