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Pickfords is a
moving company A moving company, removalist or van line is a company that helps people and businesses move their goods from one place to another. It offers all-inclusive services for relocations, like packing, loading, moving, unloading, unpacking, and a ...
based in the United Kingdom, part of Pickfords Move Management Ltd. The business is believed to have been founded in the 17th century, making it one of the UK's oldest functioning companies, although the similar Shore Porters Society was founded earlier. The earliest record is of a William Pickford, a
carrier Carrier may refer to: Entertainment * ''Carrier'' (album), a 2013 album by The Dodos * ''Carrier'' (board game), a South Pacific World War II board game * ''Carrier'' (TV series), a ten-part documentary miniseries that aired on PBS in April 20 ...
who worked south of
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
in 1630. In 1646, a north-country
yeoman Yeoman is a noun originally referring either to one who owns and cultivates land or to the middle ranks of servants in an English royal or noble household. The term was first documented in mid-14th-century England. The 14th century also witn ...
by the name of Thomas Pickford had his lands confiscated by
Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
for
gun-running Arms trafficking or gunrunning is the illicit trade of contraband small arms and ammunition, which constitutes part of a broad range of illegal activities often associated with transnational criminal organizations. The illegal trade of small arm ...
and supporting the
Cavaliers The term Cavalier () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of King Charles I and his son Charles II of England during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration (1642 – ). It ...
during the
English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...
. Pickfords is mentioned by
Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
in Our Mutual Friend, book 4, chapter 12: 'The olice stationsanctuary was not a permanent abiding-place, but a kind of criminal Pickford's.' Today, Pickfords has branches throughout the UK and Ireland. The company provides a complete portfolio of services to consumers and businesses including moving within the UK, moving to Europe and further overseas, business moving, transition and project management, employee moving services, small moves and packing materials. Pickfords Removals (South Africa) operates independently from Pickfords UK with branches located in the cities of
Bloemfontein Bloemfontein, ( ; , "fountain of flowers") also known as Bloem, is one of South Africa's three capital cities and the capital of the Free State province. It serves as the country's judicial capital, along with legislative capital Cape To ...
,
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
,
Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
,
Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...
,
Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, So ...
and
Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foothi ...
. Additional sales offices are based throughout the country. Both Pickfords UK and Pickfords South Africa form part of the Allied International Moving Network.


Corporate history

The Pickfords family of Adlington, south of
Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The ...
, and later of nearby
Poynton Poynton is a town in Cheshire, England, on the easternmost fringe of the Cheshire Plain, south-east of Manchester, north of Macclesfield and south of Stockport. Poynton has formed part of the Cheshire East unitary authority since the ab ...
, first entered the wagon trade in the 17th century. At first, they were engaged in supplying quarry stone by
packhorse A packhorse, pack horse, or sumpter refers to a horse, mule, donkey, or pony used to carry goods on its back, usually in sidebags or panniers. Typically packhorses are used to cross difficult terrain, where the absence of roads prevents the use of ...
for the construction of
turnpike Turnpike often refers to: * A type of gate, another word for a turnstile * In the United States, a toll road Turnpike may also refer to: Roads United Kingdom * A turnpike road, a principal road maintained by a turnpike trust, a body with powers ...
roads; instead of the packhorses returning with empty loads, they carried goods for third parties. In 1756, the company relocated to London and in 1776 it invented the fly wagon which could travel from London to Manchester in the then fast speed of four and a half days. A year later, it bought the carrier business of William Bass, a
Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...
haulier who carried ale for a local brewer. With the funds he went on to form
Bass Brewery The Bass Brewery () was founded in 1777 by William Bass in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, once the highest-selling beer in the UK. By 1877, Bass had become the largest brewery in the world, with ...
which still exists today. In 1779, it entered the canal industry as well (from which it withdrew in 1850). In the 19th century, it operated wagons on other companies' railways, but this was contentious, and eventually this service was eliminated. In 1816, the company was close to bankruptcy after years of decline. The Pickford family brought in three new partners including
Joseph Baxendale Joseph Baxendale (1785–1872) was an English entrepreneur, known for rebuilding and expanding the Pickfords carrier company in the middle of the 19th century. Early life and background He was born in Lancaster, the elder son of Josiah Baxendale ...
, whose family then ran the company for over a century. For delay in delivering a miller's iron shaft, Pickford's was involved in the famous
English contract law English contract law is the body of law that regulates legally binding agreements in England and Wales. With its roots in the lex mercatoria and the activism of the judiciary during the industrial revolution, it shares a heritage with countries ...
case, ''
Hadley v. Baxendale ''Hadley & Anor v Baxendale'' ''& Ors'' [1854EWHC J70is a leading English contract law case. It sets the leading rule to determine consequential damages from a breach of contract: a breaching party is liable for all losses that the contracting pa ...
'' (1848), where the court held the company was not liable for unforeseeable losses resulting from their lateness. In the 20th century, the company switched to road haulage. During this time it formed a rivalry with fellow hauliers Carter Paterson, with whom (amongst others) they merged in 1912, although both kept their separate names.


Nationalisation

In 1920, the company was sold again, to the Hay's Wharf Cartage Company, on the back of a burgeoning post-World War I home removals business. Pickfords still continued to operate under that name. In turn Hay's Wharf was taken over by the four main British railway companies in 1934 and was subsequently nationalised in 1947 as part of
British Road Services The National Freight Corporation was a major British transport business between 1948 and 2000. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and at one time, as NFC plc, was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History The company was established ...
and what would become the
National Freight Corporation The National Freight Corporation was a major British transport business between 1948 and 2000. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and at one time, as NFC plc, was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. History The company was established ...
(NFC) in 1969. In 1942, the heavy haulage division moved Mulberry harbour sections (temporary harbour) to sea launchings prior to them being towed across the
English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
for the
Normandy landings The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
. As part of the NFC, Pickfords was involved in a wide range of haulage activities, including heavy haulage (moving oversize loads) from the 1950s to the 1980s. The company absorbed several well-known haulage companies during this period but then withdrew from the sector. A number of former Pickfords vehicles have been preserved and can be seen at events, demonstrating moving outsize loads along with the earlier
steam tractor :''This article refers to the steam-powered agricultural tractor; for other types of steam tractor, see: Traction engine'' A steam tractor is a vehicle powered by a steam engine which is used for pulling. In North America, the term ''steam t ...
s.


Privatisation

The National Freight Consortium, as it was subsequently renamed, was privatised via a sale to employees in 1982. Downard Pickfords (later
Allied Pickfords Australia Allied Moving Services is a moving company in Australia. It maintains 40 branches across all states of Australia, and over 600 locations worldwide providing removal services across the entire country, and is a subsidiary of SIRVA.
) was established in 1982 when Downard Transport in Australia was purchased. Pickfords' travel agency business was the second largest in the UK in 1984 and included the Harry Leek chain as well as its own brand. Pickfords Travel was sold to
Airtours MyTravel Group plc was a British, global travel group headquartered in Rochdale, England. It was founded in 1972 as Airtours Group. The group included two in-house airlines, MyTravel Airways UK and MyTravel Airways Scandinavia, and various t ...
in 1992, when it comprised the Pickfords and Hourmont Travel brands; Hourmont had been acquired by Pickfords in 1987. After Airtours acquired the travel agency business of
Hogg Robinson Hogg Robinson Group was a corporate travel management company. It was acquired by American Express Global Business Travel in July 2018. History Hogg Robinson Group was established in 1845, by brothers in law Francis Hogg, a young wine merchant, ...
in 1993 it was merged with Pickfords and Hourmont Travel to form Going Places. In 1996, the NFC sold Pickfords to the American company
Allied Van Lines Allied Van Lines is an American moving company founded in 1928 as a cooperative non-profit organization owned by its member agents on the east coast of the United States, to help with organizing return loads and minimizing dead-heading (i.e. op ...
in a deal worth $400 million, In 2002 the parent company was renamed, becoming Allied. In 2009, Allied Pickfords, the international arm of Pickfords, became Pickfords. The company continues to operate as part of the Allied International Network which has 600 offices in over 45 countries. In 2012, the UK arm of the company entered a
pre-packaged insolvency Pre-packaged insolvency (a "pre-pack") is a kind of bankruptcy procedure, where a restructure plan is agreed in advance of a company declaring its insolvency. In the United States pre-packs are often used in a Chapter 11 filing. In the United King ...
, before being bought by two of its directors. This deal secured employment for the company's 900 staff members. As part of its approach to
corporate responsibility Corporate responsibility is a term which has come to characterize a family of professional disciplines intended to help a corporation stay competitive by maintaining accountability to its four main stakeholder groups: customers, employees, shareh ...
, Pickfords announced a fundraising partnership with the
NSPCC The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) is a British child protection charity. History Victorian era On a trip to New York in 1881, Liverpudlian businessman Thomas Agnew was inspired by a visit to the New Yor ...
in 2010.


Publications

*Hays Wharf Cartage Company (1947) ''Transport Saga, 1646 - 1947''. London: Hays Wharf Cartage Company (a history of Pickford's Ltd and Carter Paterson & Co.)


References


External links

* {{official website, http://www.pickfords.co.uk
Poynton: A Coal Mining Village. Chapter 8
Removal companies of the United Kingdom Former nationalised industries of the United Kingdom Transport companies of Australia 17th-century establishments in England Heavy haulage