News Entry

From the scales of justice to musical scales - via fish scales - a building owned by Williamsons Solicitors has provided a lifeline to a local orchestra.

The legal firm’s investment in new storage facilities, which was once home to a seafood business, is now housing the Hull Philharmonic’s 140-year old music library, which includes scores and parts notated by Sir Henry Wood (the founder of the Proms) from his tenure as musical director of the Hull Philharmonic orchestra from 1923-1939.

When directors learned that the orchestra was searching for a home for its music they decided to come to the rescue.

The tidal surge of 2013 first claimed a proportion of the historic music library when floodwater entered its facility at the old Myton Street School. Hull City Council then offered a temporary home at Hull City Hall, an arrangement that had to finish at the end of 2018.

Sarah Clubley, director at Williamsons Solicitors which is a long-term sponsor of the orchestra said ‘When we heard about the Hull Philharmonic’s plight, we thought our storage facility would be ideal as we have designed it specifically for document storage and retrieval. We are very pleased to be able to house this valuable and fascinating resource.’

Although the Hull Philharmonic often uses international music libraries to hire scores and parts for the orchestra’s concerts, it has built up its own library which is used regularly as well as being hired out to other orchestras, it contains scores and parts from classical symphonies to film music - and in addition many commissioned pieces.

Williamsons Solicitors has head offices on Hull’s Lowgate and branches in Beverley, Driffield and Bridlington.

 Photo:   Sarah Clubley, directors of Williamsons (centre) with Hull Philharmonic librarians Chris Pollock and Jennie Laing