Mitford provides discreet household stewardship for principal residences and distinguished premises. MITFORD-trained staff, DBS Enhanced, and engaged with the care that exceptional homes require.
We do not offer cleaning. We offer the sustained condition of a household kept — correctly, quietly, and to the standard its owner expects without having to ask.
A great household was once managed by people who understood that their purpose was not to clean, but to maintain. The silver was polished because it should be. The linen was pressed because that was the standard. The windows were attended because a neglected house deteriorates — visibly, and in ways that matter.
Mitford restores that standard. We work across principal residences, private offices, and distinguished commercial premises — bringing MITFORD-trained staff, a rigorous methodology, and a network of specialist partners to every engagement.
We begin with what is visible. We attend to what is not. We report on condition, recommend where needed, and leave the house as it should be — without instruction, without prompting, and without exception.
Every member of our household team completes the MITFORD programme — covering discretion, surface knowledge, the handling of valuables, professional conduct, and the standards of a well-run house.
All staff hold current Enhanced DBS certification before attending any residence or premises. Documentation is provided on request, without exception.
You will always know who is in your home. The same faces, the same understanding of your house — visit after visit. We do not use agency or temporary staff.
Where a task demands an expert beyond our own team, we commission the right person — art conservators, furniture restorers, specialist fabric care — and attend the work ourselves.
Each engagement is structured around the specific requirements of the residence or premises — not around a standard package or a fixed price list. What follows is the scope of our work.
The ongoing care of a primary London home. Daily, weekly, or programme-based — every room attended to the standard it deserves, not to the completion of a checklist.
CoreProperties in periodic use attended and held in readiness. Opened before arrival, secured on departure. Always ready as though you had never left.
CorePreparation, ongoing maintenance, and post-departure closure. We manage the house between visits so it is always as it should be when you arrive.
CoreThe house aired, dressed, and ready. Linen, temperature, flowers — every detail managed without instruction. We anticipate; we do not wait to be asked.
Following a dinner, reception, or house party: a complete restoration of the house to its prior condition — attended the same evening or at first light, as required.
Household staff for formal dinners, private receptions, and considered occasions. Trained, presented, and briefed to the standard of the event and the house.
Stone, parquet, marble, lacquer, terrazzo. Each material has its own care logic. Our approach is material-specific — the correct method, the correct product, applied correctly.
CoreWindows are the most visible measure of a home's condition. Glass, frames, sills, and ironmongery — treated as the architectural elements they are. Sash, casement, conservation, steel-framed.
CoreSilks, wools, antique tapestries, upholstered furniture, curtains. We assess and attend — commissioning specialist conservators where the material demands it.
CoreThe correct method for each alloy, the correct product for each finish. Nothing polished that should not be. Nothing neglected that should be. A discipline, not a task.
Bathrooms, powder rooms, and ancillary spaces attended with the same thoroughness as principal rooms. The standard does not fall in rooms that are not seen by guests.
Professional kitchens, catering equipment, and household utility spaces. Maintained to the standard required by both function and the house's overall condition.
The exterior of a house speaks before the door is opened. Stone, stucco, brickwork, railings, and external glazing — attended so that the first impression is the correct one.
Glass roofs, ridge-bars, structural glazing, and heritage ironwork. Specialist care for architecturally significant spaces that demand a careful and considered approach.
Pest management and environmental monitoring, commissioned through specialist partners and coordinated by Mitford with the same discretion as all other services.
By CommissionOffices whose environment is a direct expression of the principal and the organisation. Attended with the same standard as a private residence — because the distinction is one of location, not expectation.
Retail environments where the physical space is part of the brand. Our team attends before trading hours — never during — leaving the environment in the condition its clients expect.
Spaces where the standard of environment is inseparable from membership value. Scheduled attendance, post-event recovery, and seasonal deep care — by programme, not by incident.
A household attended by Mitford is attended in its entirety. Where a task exceeds the scope of our own team — a painting requiring conservation, a piece of furniture requiring restoration, a textile requiring a conservator — we do not attempt the work ourselves. And we do not subcontract it to an unknown.
Mitford maintains long-standing relationships with conservators and craftspeople of the highest standing in their disciplines. We commission them directly on behalf of the client, attend the work, and take responsibility for the outcome.
This is the distinction between a cleaning company and a household stewardship practice. We do not leave the scope of our care at the edge of what is straightforward.
Old Master & Fine Art Conservation · London
Simon Gillespie is among the foremost picture restorers in the world — commissioned by private collectors, major auction houses, and international institutions. Where a residence holds paintings or works on paper that require conservation or restoration, Mitford engages the Simon Gillespie Studio directly on behalf of the client, providing the correct expertise through an established relationship rather than a cold introduction.
Historic Textiles, Silk, Antique Upholstery · By Commission
Tapestries, silk wall-coverings, historic upholstery, and antique floor coverings each require a conservator — not a cleaning method. Mitford commissions the appropriate specialist on a client-by-client basis, having assessed the material and its condition as part of the household programme.
Polishing, Gilding, Lacquer & Structural Restoration · By Commission
Period polishes, gesso, ormolu, and historic lacquerwork are outside the scope of household attendance — and outside the competence of general cleaning. Where a piece requires professional restoration, Mitford identifies, commissions, and oversees the appropriate craftsperson.
Manned & Electronic Security · By Specialist Commission
Where a principal residence or premises requires formal security provision, Mitford coordinates the engagement of appropriate specialist security services — vetted, briefed to our standards, and managed within the overall stewardship programme.
Mitford operates at the level where trust is not a selling point — it is the only foundation on which the relationship can exist. Every member of our team is DBS Enhanced checked before their first attendance. Every staff member completes the MITFORD discretion programme before entering a client's home. Every engagement is governed by a confidentiality agreement as standard.
We do not discuss our clients. We do not name our clients. We do not work with staff agencies, and we do not place unknown individuals in principal residences. The people who attend your home are Mitford people — trained by us, vetted by us, and directly accountable to us.
If you wish to verify credentials for any member of the Mitford team before or after engagement, we provide this as a matter of course.
Every Mitford staff member holds a current Enhanced DBS certificate before attending any engagement. Renewed regularly; available on request.
Our proprietary training programme: discretion, professional conduct, the handling of valuables, and the standards of a well-run household.
All engagements are covered by a comprehensive NDA as standard. We do not reference, discuss, or disclose any aspect of a client's home or engagement.
Comprehensive public liability and contents coverage for every attendance — residential and commercial. Full documentation provided on request.
Mitford does not use agency workers, temporary staff, or third-party labour for any household attendance. Every person who enters your home is a named Mitford team member, known to us and known to you, before they arrive.
Mitford focuses on central London and its finest addresses, with country house attendance by arrangement. We know these streets and their houses — which is part of the service.
Georgian townhouses, stucco terraces, and lateral apartments where the standard of the house is visible from the pavement. We understand what is required here without being told.
Some of London's most significant private houses. Garden squares, mews, and riverside apartments. Primary residences and pied-à-terres, each attended to the same standard.
Grand stucco villas, Holland Park family houses, and the terraces of South Kensington. Complex houses with complex contents, attended with the thoroughness they require.
Weekend houses, shooting estates, and long-held family properties. We attend, prepare, close, and maintain — on a schedule built around how the house is actually used.
Every Mitford engagement begins with a conversation, not a quotation form. We need to understand the house — its materials, its contents, how it is used, and what matters to its owner — before we can propose how to attend it.
i.
A private conversation — by telephone or in person. We listen. We learn about the house, its contents, how it is used, and what standard matters to you.
ii.
We visit. We assess materials, condition, access, and specific requirements. We identify where specialist partners may be appropriate. Nothing is assumed or estimated.
iii.
We write a proposed programme: frequency, scope, named attendants, and any specialist commissions. It is a document written for the house — not a template with names changed.
iv.
The engagement begins. We attend, observe, report on condition, and adjust as the house requires. The relationship is ongoing. The standard does not diminish over time.
Mitford has attended our house in Cadogan Square for two years. The difference from what preceded them is not something I could easily describe — it is simply that the house is always as it should be. I no longer think about it.— Principal Residence, Chelsea SW1
All enquiries are received by a Mitford principal — not an administrator, not a booking system. We respond within one working day. All communications are held in the strictest confidence as a matter of course.
If you prefer a particular method of contact, or a specific time, please indicate this in your message. We will work to your schedule. All correspondence is treated as strictly confidential.
All enquiries are treated as strictly confidential. Mitford does not share, disclose, or discuss correspondence.