How can you deliver heavy building materials to a restricted access space?

I need to get several tonnes of soil and/or gravel into my back garden. The only access is a side pageway and back gate, through the house, or (unlikely!) over the top of the house. The front of the house is directly on the street, which is narrow with just about room for one car to p down the road. Is the only way of getting the material delivered straight into the garden to have it delivered in one tonne sacks to the front of the house and wheelbarrow it round into the back garden gate? Is it possible to hire any sort of small motorised trolley or is there any other way builders/landscapers get around this problem?