House contents probate
valuations in Derbyshire

HMRC-compliant valuation of home contents, delivered in 2-3 days

No home visit needed – just add photos
and we’ll handle everything for you.

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A modern approach to probate valuations in Derbyshire

An auction house visit is not necessary for most Derbyshire estates. What drives inheritance tax is nearly always the property, the savings and the investments rather than the ordinary contents of the house, so our HMRC-compliant online service is the right fit for about 95% of estates and is generally finished inside one to three working days.

Some estates need more. Where there are significant antiques, a collection, or objects that need proper examination, we have three valuers covering Derbyshire, and an in-person appointment can usually be arranged within one to two weeks.

If you are weighing up which of the two you need, call the office on 0330 088 4099 and we will talk it through.

pension-death-benefits-face-inheritance-tax-from-april-2027

“Valuations are the biggest single area of risk, accounting for a large part of our compliance checks. You are strongly advised to instruct a qualified independent valuer.”

Source: Inheritance Tax Toolkit, HMRC, Published July 2018

Antiques and collectables commonly
found in Derbyshire estates

Most probate estates contain familiar household possessions such as furniture, jewellery, watches, pictures, ceramics and silver.

Derbyshire has produced porcelain, ornamental stone, stoneware and hosiery for more than two centuries, and pieces with a strong local connection come up regularly when we value homes across the county.

Derby Porcelain and Royal Crown Derby
Porcelain has been made in Derby since about 1750, across three separate factories. André Planché was working in soft-paste porcelain by 1750 and went into partnership with the enameller William Duesbury and the banker John Heath in 1756. The Nottingham Road works closed in 1848, former workmen carried on the old patterns and moulds at King Street until 1935, and the Osmaston Road factory built in the 1870s is still in production. George III allowed the crown into the backstamp in 1775, and Queen Victoria granted the Royal Crown Derby title in 1890.

The heavily gilded Imari patterns are the form most often found at home. Old Imari, pattern number 1128, first appears in the pattern books in 1882, and 20th-century Derby was sold as giftware and wedding china, so single plates, pin trays, small dishes and the later animal paperweights are common across the county. The factory has also been a large local employer for 270 years, which puts seconds, presentation pieces and commemoratives into Derby households. Pattern, date mark and the state of the gilding all bear on value.
Blue John
Blue John is a banded ornamental fluorspar found nowhere in the world except Treak Cliff Hill at Castleton. Mining for ornamental stone began between 1745 and 1750, commercial extraction at Treak Cliff ceased in 1926, and only around half a ton a year is worked now. The name probably derives from the French bleu et jaune, describing the blue and yellow banding, and individual veins are recognised within the trade as an attribution route.

Large vases and inlay went to Chatsworth and Buckingham Palace, but most surviving material is small souvenir work bought at Castleton, Matlock Bath and Buxton over two centuries. Thimbles, egg-shaped ornaments, small bowls, brooches, pendants, cufflinks and rings all turn up, which is why Blue John appears so often in Derbyshire jewellery boxes and cabinets. Colour, depth of banding and period all matter, and 18th and 19th-century mounted pieces sit well above modern souvenir work.

Whitehurst of Derby Clocks and Barometers
John Whitehurst worked from 24 Iron Gate in Derby from the 1730s until his death in 1788. He was a clockmaker, engineer and geologist, the oldest member of the Lunar Society, and is credited with developing the round-dial longcase clock. His nephew inherited the business and continued it as Whitehurst & Son, the family being known in Derby as turret clock makers well into the 19th century.

Longcase clocks and stick barometers were bought by Derbyshire professional and merchant families and frequently stayed in the same house for generations, which is why the name comes up so often in local probate work. Dials and plates are signed for Derby, and a documented sundial is signed Whitehurst and Son, Derby, 1812. Originality of the movement, dial and case matters a great deal, as does whether a clock is complete with its weights and pendulum.
Denby Stoneware
The pottery at Denby, near Ripley, has worked the same site since 1809, after William Bourne found a seam of local clay. His son Joseph took the business on in 1812 and the family ran it through several generations, buying out competitors at Codnor Park in 1833 and Shipley in 1845. Nineteenth-century output was strictly utilitarian: ink, blacking and ginger beer bottles, storage jars, bread crocks and hot water bottles, much of it impressed with the Bourne and Denby name.

From the 1930s Denby became mainstream British tableware, and named ranges including Cottage Blue, Greenwheat, Arabesque and Imperial Blue are a routine feature of house contents in the county, particularly across the Amber Valley and Erewash villages where the works was the local employer. Completeness is what matters with the tableware. With the older stoneware, an impressed maker or retailer name is usually what makes a piece worth separating out from the general run of kitchen ware.

How our probate valuation service in Derbyshire works

Swift Values offers full probate valuations either way. Most estates are well-suited to our online service – but if your situation calls for a valuer on site, we do that too.

Online Valuation – £119

Ideal for the vast majority of UK homes, from everyday contents to good-quality furniture and collectables (think John Lewis, Habitat, mid-range antiques). You photograph, we value. HMRC-compliant, delivered in 2-3 days.

Start your valuation

Best for: 95%+ of estates

In-Person Valuation – from £298

Recommended for specialist estates containing significant fine art, important antiques, major collections, museum-quality pieces or items likely to attract interest from international auction houses.

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Best for: high-value or specialist estates

Not sure which you need? Call the office on 0330 088 4099 and we will be happy to help.

We provide in-person probate valuations across Derbyshire, including Derby, Chesterfield, Buxton, Matlock, Bakewell, Belper, Ashbourne, Ilkeston, Glossop, Castleton and Swadlincote.

See exactly what you’ll receive

Every Swift Values report is a professionally formatted PDF, ready to submit with your probate application. It includes:

Illustrated room-by-room records

High-value item breakdowns

Valuer notes to detail specifics

Section 160 compliance statement

Signed declaration for IHT400

Valuer bio

View example report

Trusted by executors. Accepted by HMRC.

Swift Values offers a straightforward, low-risk way to meet your probate valuation obligations.

Money-Back Guarantee

Zero risk service. If HMRC does not accept it, we’ll refund your fee.

100% HMRC Acceptance Record

Thousands of valuations completed, with every report accepted by HMRC.

Rated ‘Excellent’ & 5 Stars on Trustpilot

Executors choose Swift Values because it’s easy, quick and reassuring.

Probate valuations for solicitors and professional executors in Derbyshire

We are instructed regularly by solicitors, professional executors and estate administrators throughout Derbyshire.

Access to the property can be arranged with whoever is best placed to help, whether that is an executor, a beneficiary, an estate agent or a property manager, and we provide a written open-market valuation suitable for probate and HMRC purposes.

Higher-value items are identified individually in our reports and ordinary household contents are grouped appropriately, which keeps costs down and avoids the delay of cataloguing low-value possessions one by one.

Shortlisted : Best Use of Technology, British Wills and Probate Awards 2025 and 2026.

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Probate solicitors in Derbyshire

If you need legal assistance with probate or estate administration, the following firms have offices in Derbyshire and offer private client, wills or probate services.

Swift Values is independent of the firms listed below and does not receive referral fees.

Alexander & Co Solicitors

Derby

Solicitors offering wills, probate and estate administration services from their Friar Gate office in Derby.

Key contact: Tim Dysterre-Clark
Head of Probate

Professional membership: The firm holds the Law Society’s Wills and Inheritance Quality Scheme accreditation

01332 600005

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Flint Bishop LLP

Derby

Solicitors handling wills, probate, tax and trusts from their Pride Park office in Derby.

Key contact: Claire Rudkin
Partner and Head of Wills, Probate, Tax and Trusts

Professional membership: Claire Rudkin is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners.

01332 340211

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Banner Jones Solicitors

Chesterfield

Solicitors offering wills, probate and estate administration services from offices in Chesterfield and Dronfield.

Key contact: Kathryn Wheeldon
Director, Solicitor and Head of Wills and Probate

Professional membership: Kathryn Wheeldon has been an accredited member of Solicitors for the Elderly, now The Association of Lifetime Lawyers, since December 2019.

0330 017 6309

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How to photograph your house for a probate valuation

Simply take clear, useful photographs so our valuers can prepare your probate report quickly and accurately.

You do not need professional photos or a home visit. In this short video our founder Mark explains exactly what to photograph, how to capture each room, and which details help our valuers identify anything that may need closer attention.

What’s included in your probate valuation?

Our £119 online valuation covers the general contents of most UK homes and is suitable for the vast majority of estates.

If anything requires specialist input, we’ll tell you early and confirm any additional costs before proceeding. No surprises.

Service

Online house contents valuation

Jewellery & watches

Cars & motorbikes

In person valuations

Price (inc. VAT)

£119

From £49

From £298

If everything is routine, our standard £119 service is all you’ll pay. If anything stands out, we’ll explain why and confirm any costs before any further work begins.

You only pay for additional expertise when it’s genuinely needed.
Your PDF report will have all the detail required, no matter what’s been valued.

Ready to start your probate valuation?

From just £119. Delivered in 2-3 working days.

HMRC-compliant – guaranteed, or your money back.

Start your valuation

Questions? Call the office on 0330 088 4099

We carry out probate valuations well beyond Derbyshire. See where we provide probate valuations across the UK.

House contents probatevaluations in Derbyshire

HMRC-compliant valuation of home contents, delivered in 2-3 days

A modern approach to probate valuations in Derbyshire

“Valuations are the biggest single area of risk, accounting for a large part of our compliance checks. You are strongly advised to instruct a qualified independent valuer.”

Antiques and collectables commonlyfound in Derbyshire estates

Derby Porcelain and Royal Crown Derby

Blue John

Whitehurst of Derby Clocks and Barometers

Denby Stoneware

How our probate valuation service in Derbyshire works

Online Valuation – £119

In-Person Valuation – from £298

See exactly what you’ll receive

Trusted by executors. Accepted by HMRC.

Money-Back Guarantee

100% HMRC Acceptance Record

Rated ‘Excellent’ & 5 Stars on Trustpilot

Probate valuations for solicitors and professional executors in Derbyshire

Trusted by

Probate solicitors in Derbyshire

Alexander & Co Solicitors

Flint Bishop LLP

Banner Jones Solicitors

How to photograph your house for a probate valuation

What’s included in your probate valuation?

Service

Online house contents valuation

Jewellery & watches

Cars & motorbikes

In person valuations

Price (inc. VAT)

£119

From £49

From £49

From £298

Ready to start your probate valuation?

From just £119. Delivered in 2-3 working days.

House contents probate
valuations in Derbyshire

Antiques and collectables commonly
found in Derbyshire estates