Piano removals in Leeds city centre and Headingley

In the middle of Leeds, a piano move is decided by the building more than the distance: lifts, loading bays, stage doors and stairwells. We've taken grands into some of the city's best-known venues, and the same planning goes into a first-floor flat in Headingley.

Grand piano strapped to its skid at the green goods lift doors of City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds

The grand that wouldn't fit the lift

Moving a grand into City Varieties Music Hall, we found the piano wouldn't fit in the lift while it was on its protective skid. So we sheeted the street outside, took the piano off the skid there, moved it into the lift and up into the hall. When it came back out, we did the whole thing again in reverse.

That's city-centre work in a nutshell. The piano is the easy part; the building sets the rules. We check lifts, doors and turns before the day, so the plan is already made when the van pulls up.

Recent jobs in the city centre

Grand piano on its side on a skid on the Leeds Grand Theatre stage, with the auditorium behind — Behind the scenes with Opera North on the Leeds Grand Theatre stage

Two movers lying under a black grand piano, refitting its legs in an Opera North rehearsal room in Leeds — Refitting the legs on a grand at Opera North

Wrapped grand piano on the tiled staircase up to the Great Hall at the University of Leeds — Up the staircase to the Great Hall, University of Leeds

Movers guiding a blanket-wrapped grand piano into the lift at City Varieties Music Hall, Leeds — Off its skid and into the lift at City Varieties

A 9ft Steinway, just down the road from the University

A full concert grand is about as demanding as piano moving gets: dismantled, wrapped, skidded down to street level, ramped and rebuilt at the far end. This one was just down the road from the University of Leeds.

City-centre apartments

Many LS1 and LS2 blocks have a lift, but not every lift takes a piano. If you can send us the lift's internal size and door width, we'll tell you straight away whether it works, and what we'll do if it doesn't. Building management often want the lift booked or protected and a loading bay reserved, so mention that when you ask for a quote and we'll plan around it.

Headingley, Hyde Park and Burley

Victorian terraces and back-to-backs, often with steps up to the front door, a narrow hall and a tight staircase. Plenty of pianos live in them, and they're the reason we plan the route before anything is lifted. Uprights are wrapped, skidded and ramped, and turned on their end where a hall or landing leaves no other way through.

Universities, halls and music schools

Students, staff and departments at the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett, Leeds Arts University and Leeds Conservatoire all need pianos moved at some point, from a practice upright going into halls to a grand for a performance space. The Great Hall at the University of Leeds is one we've done, staircase and all.

Lifts, loading bays and stage doors planned before the day
Grands dismantled, skidded and rebuilt on site
Floors, lift cars and stairwells protected throughout
Fully insured, with you setting the value for liability

Areas this page covers

Leeds city centreLeeds DockHolbeckQuarry HillHeadingleyHyde ParkWoodhouseBurleyLittle London

Good to know

City-centre piano moves, answered

Can you move a piano in a lift?

Often, yes. An upright can often go in standing up; a grand travels on its side on a skid, which needs a longer lift car. Send us the lift's internal size and door width and we'll tell you whether it works. If a grand won't fit on its skid, we can take it off the skid for the lift itself, as we did at City Varieties Music Hall.

Do you move pianos for theatres, venues and universities?

Yes. We've moved grands behind the scenes with Opera North at the Leeds Grand Theatre, into City Varieties Music Hall, and up to the Great Hall at the University of Leeds. Venue work is priced the same way as any other move: tell us the piano and the access and we'll give you a clear price.

My building has rules about moving days. Is that a problem?

Not at all. Plenty of city-centre blocks want the lift booked or protected and a loading bay reserved. Tell us what your building asks for when you get a quote and we'll plan the day around it.

Elsewhere in Leeds

Moving out of the centre, or into it from elsewhere in Leeds? That is the same job to us. See piano removals for how we work, prices for what shapes the figure, or disposal if the piano has reached the end.

Free quote

Get a price for your piano

Lift sizes, loading bays and stage doors all help. Send what you know about the building along with the piano type and we'll price it.

Start your free quote Or call 0113 466 0876