ICM Gerson Ltd has recently moved a unique item, the Blenheim Bureau, which until recently has been displayed in the Blenheim Palace which it depicts.

When a unique piece of furniture needed to be moved the owner chose ICM Gerson Ltd for the job. The unique item in question was the Blenheim Bureau which until recently has been displayed in the Blenheim Palace which it depicts.

The Blenheim Bureau is one of the greatest examples of English Baroque architecture designed by Sir John Vanburgh and Nicholas Hawksmoor. Crafted by Viscount Linley, Grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, it is constructed in beautiful French polished mahogany and flame mahogany veneers. The bureau is beautifully decorated with gilded ormolu and carving and incorporates many outstanding features which make David Linley’s furniture unique.

On the roll top of the desk section is a wonderful scenic view in marquetry depicting a view of the palace and grounds across the lake with the bridge in the foreground. Much of the bureau encompasses other features of Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke of Marlborough, including in the centre of the top section a copy of the Column of Victory, built to commemorate the victory of Blenheim in 1704. Behind the column is a faceted concave section made of silver leaf mirrors depicting another famous feature of the palace, the Hall of Mirrors. The clock at the top of the bureau is an exact copy of the Blenheim Clock found in the Clock Tower at the Palace. Within the roll top of the desk is a precise model of Blenheim Palace itself.

This unique piece of furniture took over 8000 man hours to build and contains no less than 34 secret compartments. It was built in 1999 by David Linley to commemorate the new millennium.

The move of the bureau presented many challenges. Firstly the very delicate and ornate nature of this piece required attention to detail and very careful packing. A representative of the owner was on hand to oversee the dismantling, packing and casing of this marvellous item. The bureau itself was in a restricted space, surrounded by many priceless artefacts within Blenheim Palace, none of which were allowed to be touched or moved but around which the staff of ICM Gerson had to manoeuvre very carefully when moving the bureau.

Due to the great weight of the lower base of the bureau, the carpets and floor tiling of the palace required protecting so no marks, indentations or cracks were left. This involved a very long carry around the corridors of Blenheim Palace and the negotiation of many steps. Added to this, the whole packing and collection process had to be completed before 10.30am when the palace opened to the public.

The whole process was overseen by a senior member of staff from Blenheim Palace who commented afterwards on the care, attention to detail, concern for the palace surroundings and professionalism of the ICM Gerson crew, Foreman Graham Green, Ryan Roirdan, John Buckland and Steve Wheldon. Much planning went into the success of the movement of what is a unique single item and the whole process was managed by Graham Horsler with the assistance of Phil Knee and Tony Swain in the ICM Gerson Ltd office.

Was the operation completed by 10.30am as requested? But of course! With careful planning and on schedule the ICM Gerson crew left at 10.25am to proceed to the bureaus new location, the owner’s house in Putney, where they assisted with its re-assembly and installation much to the delight of its owner, another very satisfied client.

Left: The Blenheim Bureau with the model of Blenheim palace itself.

Right: After careful packing, the base of the bureau is manhandled across the protected floor.