Since 1675, guns have been brought to Commercial Road to be inspected, measured, proof fired and marked with the London Proof Mark. They arrive as the unproven work of gunmakers and leave as proved firearms, fit to be sold and safe to be shot. It is a relationship between the Proof House, British gun and trade that predates the Bank of England, the Union, and every gunmaker whose name is now spoken with reverence.
Today we are announcing a new chapter in that relationship. The London Proof House is now offering
secure gun storage,
a Metropolitan Police authorised armoury, inside the Proof House itself, available to individual owners, collectors, estates and the trade.
Your guns have always been proved here. Now they can stay here.
Why we have launched gun storage
The request to safety store guns has been made of us for years, and quietly it has always made sense, now we have taken action.
Gun ownership in London is not straightforward. Approved cabinets require solid walls that many London homes do not have, or landlords who will not permit them. Certificates lapse, are surrendered, or take longer to renew than anyone would like. Owners move house, spend months abroad, or inherit a collection they did not expect and are not yet licensed to hold. Overseas visitors who shoot in Britain need a UK address for their guns between seasons. And some pieces, historic, valuable, irreplaceable, simply deserve better conditions than a spare room can offer.
Until now, our answer to all of this was to point elsewhere. It seemed increasingly odd to do so from inside one of the most secure and most scrutinised firearms buildings in the country.
So we have opened the doors.
What the service includes
Everything about the storage service reflects the standards we already apply to proof.
A Metropolitan Police authorised armoury. Our facility operates under full authorisation from the Metropolitan Police firearms team. For a commercial gun storage facility in London, this is the highest standard of regulatory approval available, and it is not a badge we sought for marketing. It is the condition of everything else we do.
Inside the Proof House itself. Your firearms are held at 48–50 Commercial Road, within the Georgian building that has been the home of British proof since 1675, following our relocation from near the Tower where in 1637 we were founded. They are not in a back room behind a shop, and not in a unit on an industrial estate outside the M25. They are here, in Whitechapel, in central London, in the building itself.
Continuous environmental monitoring. UV, humidity and other environmental conditions are monitored continuously. Steel, walnut, case colour hardening and old oil finishes all reward a stable environment and are punished with a poor one. Ours is managed, not assumed.
Discretion as standard. Client details and holdings are held securely, and confidentially. We have spent centuries working with makers, users, military, collectors and other such institutions who value privacy, and we understand precisely what is being asked of us.
Onward shipment on request. Where required, we can arrange shipment of your firearms to another registered firearms dealer.
Transparent pricing. £20 + VAT per gun, per month. No enquiry required to find out what it costs, the figure is published, and it is what you will pay.
Who this is for
You may find gun storage useful if you are:
- Renewing, surrendering or between certificates, and need your firearms held lawfully and securely in the meantime
- Moving house, or between homes, with nowhere approved to install a cabinet
- Living in London in a property where an approved cabinet is impractical or not permitted
- Travelling or working abroad for an extended period
- An executor or beneficiary dealing with an estate, where firearms must be secured immediately and dealt with properly later
- An overseas visitor shooting in the UK and needing a base for your guns between trips
- A collector with pieces that warrant conditions better than a domestic cabinet can provide
- A member of the trade needing overflow capacity or secure holding in central London
How it works
- Get in touch.
Call or email us to discuss your requirements and confirm availability.
- Deliver your firearms.
Bring your guns to the Proof House. We are required by law to sight the relevant original shotgun or firearms certificate, held by the certificate holder, at the point of deposit and collection.
- We take it from there.
Your firearms are inspected, the condition recorded, secured in the armoury and monitored continuously for as long as you need.
- Collect whenever you are ready.
Certificate in hand, your guns are returned to you.
Speak to us
Secure gun storage at the London Proof House starts at £20 + VAT per gun, per month.
Read the full details:
Secure Gun Storage at the London Proof House
Call: +44 (0) 207 481 2695
Email:
proofmaster@gunmakers.org.uk
Visit: The London Proof House, 48–50 Commercial Road, London E1 1LP
