A family-run removal company built on trust, hard work, and a simple promise: we’ll treat your belongings like they’re our own.
How It All Started
Back in 1998, Hadley Cross was 24 years old with a second-hand Ford Transit and a borrowed two grand from his dad. He’d spent seven years working for a local removal company, learning every part of the trade from carrying boxes to packing china to loading vans so tight that nothing moved an inch in transit. When he finally decided to go out on his own, he didn’t have a business plan or a marketing budget. He had a strong back, a good reputation, and a phone that he answered on the first ring.
The first job was moving a retired couple from Perry Street to a bungalow in Meopham. They gave him a twenty pound tip and a tin of biscuits. He still remembers their names.
For the first two years, Hadley did everything himself. Driving, carrying, quoting, invoicing, answering the phone while halfway up a staircase with a chest of drawers. His mum helped with the paperwork in the evenings. Jobs came through word of mouth, cards in newsagent windows, and a small ad in the local paper.
By 2000, he’d hired his first employee. By 2005, the business had grown enough to rebrand from “H. Cross Removals” to “Hadley’s Removals,” because customers kept calling him by his first name anyway. By 2008, there were four vans and a small team of six. The financial crisis actually helped the business. House prices dropped, making areas outside London affordable for young families, and every one of those families needed a removal company.
Through the 2010s, the business grew steadily across Kent. Hadley resisted getting a website for years, insisting that word of mouth was all they needed. It took his son Jake, home from university during lockdown, to show him just how many people were searching online for removal services and not finding Hadley’s name anywhere in the results.
“We’ve been doing this for over 25 years,” Hadley says. “We’ve moved thousands of families. We just never bothered telling the internet about it. Time to fix that.”
What We Stand For
No Hidden Fees, Ever
The price we quote is the price you pay. We don’t add charges for stairs, for wrapping, for fuel, or for anything else that should be included as standard. If something changes on the day that genuinely affects the cost, we’ll talk to you about it first.
Your Belongings Are Our Responsibility
Every item that goes onto our van is fully insured. Our teams use professional wrapping materials, blankets, and protective covers on every single move, whether it’s a studio flat or a five-bedroom house. We don’t cut corners.
Local Teams Who Know Your Area
Every area we serve has a dedicated team that knows the streets, the parking challenges, the buildings with difficult access, and the fastest routes. When you book with us, you get people who understand your neighborhood.
Real People, Not a Call Centre
When you call Hadley’s, you speak to someone who works here. Not a script-reader in an outsourced call center, not a chatbot. A real person who can answer your questions and help plan your move properly.
Meet the Founder
Hadley Cross has been in the removal industry since he was 17 years old. He started as a porter, became a crew leader by 21, and founded his own business at 24. Over 25 years later, he’s still out on moves regularly, still answers his phone personally, and still believes that a handshake should mean something.
When he’s not loading vans, you’ll find him watching Ebbsfleet United on a Saturday, playing five-a-side with his mates on Thursday evenings, or fishing on the Thames estuary in the summer months.
“I started this company because I thought I could do removals better than the company I worked for. Twenty-seven years on, I still wake up every morning thinking about how we can do it a little bit better than yesterday.”
Where We Operate
Hadley’s Removals operates across Kent and South East London. What started in one town has expanded into a network of experienced local teams covering communities from Gravesend to Croydon, from Dartford to Watford.
Each location we serve has its own dedicated team managed by someone who lives and works in that community. They know the local parking rules, the tricky access points, the school-run traffic, and the shortcuts that save time on moving day. That local knowledge is something no national chain can offer.
Whether you’re moving across town or across the county, we’d love to help. Get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote and find out why thousands of families trust Hadley’s with their move.
