We cover all areas of North Tyneside including North Shields, Tynemouth, Wallsend, Whitley Bay, and surrounding areas.
We were recently contacted by a woman from Edinburgh who had inherited her late uncle’s two-bedroom bungalow in North Shields. The property had a garage, a garden workshop, and a conservatory — all of which were packed with years’ worth of belongings. The uncle had been a retired engineer and a self-described collector who rarely threw anything away.
The client had originally considered hiring a van and tackling the clearance with her husband over a weekend, but after arriving and seeing the volume of items — not to mention the risk of injury from navigating through unstable piles — she quickly realised it was a job for professionals. She reached out to us and we booked the clearance in for the following morning.
The condition of the property:
When our team arrived at 9 AM, the house was locked up and hadn’t been touched in over two years. We were handed the keys and began the clearance from the inside out. Every room contained dense clutter: stacks of magazines, drawers full of rusted tools, and endless boxes labelled “Miscellaneous.”
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The living room was buried under layers of newspapers, books, and various DIY gadgets. The sofa and armchairs were completely covered, and we found three old televisions stacked in the corner.
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The bedrooms were similarly cluttered, with wardrobes full of clothing, boxes of model trains, and jam jars filled with screws and bolts.
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The kitchen still had food in the fridge, long expired, and every cupboard was full of gadgets, pots, and more tools. The cooker was disconnected and taken away along with a defunct dishwasher.
Garage and outbuildings:
The real work, however, was outside. The garage was wall-to-wall with spares, engine parts, car batteries, rusted shelving, and tins of paint and oil. We had to be careful when moving items due to oil spills and sharp edges.
The garden workshop was just as intense — wooden crates, toolboxes, copper wire, and what appeared to be a partial collection of old radios and signal equipment. It took two staff members nearly three hours just to sort, separate, and remove everything safely.
Items recovered and handed to the client:
Amid the chaos, we found several important and valuable items, including:
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A 9ct gold signet ring in a glasses case
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A WW2 Royal Navy service medal group
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A vintage Rolex watch in a drawer beneath old wires
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Several framed family photographs and naval certificates
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A stack of original plans and technical drawings from the 1950s
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A sealed envelope containing savings bonds and banking paperwork
The Rolex watch had belonged to her grandfather and was completely forgotten about until we found it. The client was nearly speechless when we handed it over.
Final result:
The job took just over 7 hours to complete, with three van loads removed — two to a licensed recycling centre and one full load of donatable items taken to a local charity in North Shields. We also removed all carpets, white goods, and cleared the entire garage and workshop area as agreed.
Client testimonial:
“From the moment they arrived, James’s team were on it — no fuss, no drama, just straight to work. They didn’t just empty the house; they took the time to recover the things that mattered to our family. The watch and medals alone made it worthwhile. I can’t recommend this service highly enough — absolutely first class.”