Arundel is small — a population of about 3,500 — but every removal in it is interesting. The town climbs the hill below the castle, the streets are mostly cobbled or single-lane, the cottages are listed, and the working market town has a steady through-flow of London buyers attracted to the riverside character and the train to Victoria. Mark Ratcliffe Moving covers Arundel and the surrounding BN18 villages with the same crews that handle our Chichester work — they know listed-property protocols, the South Downs estates and how to drive a 7.5-tonne lorry up Maltravers Street without scraping anything.
Arundel is the kind of town where the postman knows everyone’s name and the streets weren’t designed for a 7.5-tonne lorry. Three things specifically matter:
Quiet, careful, often with antique contents. The cottages are small so the lorry isn’t large.
Arundel is a popular escape-from-London destination thanks to the Victoria train. We run this route monthly.
Burpham, Slindon, Madehurst. Big homes, long drives, antique-heavy contents.
Tied cottages around the castle precinct. Coordinated with the estate office.
Three things to look at when choosing a Sussex remover:
We’ve been moving Sussex households since 1982. Currently rated 4.9/5 from 120+ independent reviews. The reviews page has the full set; the testimonials we’re proudest of are the ones from customers who’ve used us twice or three times across different moves.
Book a free survey by emailing office@markratcliffemoving.co.uk or calling 01323 848 008. We’ll come to you, walk through the property and email a fixed-price quote within 48 hours.
Across Arundel the property types we move are a mix of family homes, period properties and modern builds. Family homes carry the larger inventories — kitchens with multiple appliances, garages that double as overflow storage, gardens with sheds, swing sets and BBQ kit, and a few corners with awkwardly stacked boxes that have lived there for years. Period properties bring the careful-protection requirements: corner boards on plaster walls, padded wrapping on original mantelpieces, slow door clearances to protect the architraves and the listed-property fittings.
We survey every Arundel job in person where the inventory justifies it — typically anything over a one-bedroom flat. The survey takes 30 to 45 minutes and produces a written, itemised quote inside two working days. For smaller jobs — studio flats, single rooms, baggage shipments — a video or phone survey covers the same ground.
Our daily routes out of the Lower Dicker depot put Arundel within standard half-day or full-day reach, depending on inventory size and the destination address. A typical Arundel pickup with a Sussex or Surrey delivery completes in a single day, including pad-wrapping at the load and unwrapping at the unload. The lorry leaves Lower Dicker in time to be on your driveway ten minutes before the stated load time — we don’t make customers wait around at 6am for a 7am scheduled start.
For chain-day moves out of Arundel the timings matter and we plan the schedule from the keys-release time backwards. The conveyancer’s 12 noon or 1pm completion target shapes when we crew up, when we pad-wrap and when we leave the property. For longer-distance UK moves — to the Midlands, the West Country, the north — we generally split the day across two crews if the inventory exceeds a single lorry. Anything heading overseas from Arundel routes through our customs-controlled holding bay at the depot, where the container is loaded after a final inventory check.
The Arundel quote process runs in five practical steps. First, a phone or web enquiry — tell us the address and the rough move date and we’ll suggest a survey slot. Second, the survey itself: either in-home (30 to 45 minutes) or over a video call. Both produce the same paperwork. Third, the written quote, emailed within 48 hours, itemised by line — pad-wrap, transport, packing materials, insurance, any specialist handling — so you can see what every cost line covers.
Fourth, the deposit and date hold: typically 20-25% on confirmation, fully protected under the British Association of Removers’ Advance Payment Guarantee. Fifth, the move itself — uniformed crew, our own lorry, no agency labour, blankets washed between jobs, and a written inventory at handover. None of this is unusual but it’s worth saying because a meaningful minority of removal firms across West Sussex cut corners on at least one of those steps. The five-step process keeps every move predictable and every cost line visible.
For end-of-month dates in the May–September peak, six to ten weeks ahead. Mid-week, mid-month dates can sometimes be booked two to three weeks ahead. The earlier you book, the more choice of slot and crew you’ll have.
Yes — typically 20–25% of the quoted price on booking, with the balance payable on the day of completion. All deposits are protected under the British Association of Removers’ Advance Payment Guarantee.
Crew time, our own lorry, fuel, pad-wrap (industry-grade blankets washed between jobs), basic transit insurance and labour. Packing materials, fragile-only or full packing service, and any specialist handling (piano, antiques, art, marble) are quoted separately so you see the price of each.
Yes — full British Association of Removers members and audited annually, including the BS 8564 international removal standard. Our membership number and current audit dates are on the BAR site.
Sometimes — depends on the date and the inventory size. Smaller jobs can often be slotted in within a week. Larger 3- and 4-bed moves usually need at least two weeks’ notice so we can crew correctly.
A standard 7.5-tonne lorry, yes — carefully — in most cases. For the very narrow upper end we shuttle from a smaller van. We’ll confirm at the survey which approach we’ll use.
Yes — we’ve done several. The estate office expects contractor notification before any van enters the precinct; we handle the paperwork for you.
Some are, in winter. For flood-zone properties we may suggest a higher-rated all-risks transit insurance and avoid scheduling around forecasted high tides. We’ll flag it at survey.
Yes — Burpham, Warningcamp, Slindon, Madehurst, Lyminster, Wick, Tortington, Crossbush. All within standard Sussex pricing.
Call us today for a free, no-obligation quote — or use our online form. Whether it's a one-room move or a full international relocation, we've handled it before.