John Broadwood & Sons: Royal Warrant holder in Whitby has supplied pianos to Kings and Queens since 1742
It is a business that has hit the right note for centuries - finding favour with six monarchs, including King Charles III.
Founded in 1728, piano manufacturer John Broadwood & Sons regained its Royal Warrant for the manufacture and tuning of pianos for the Royal Household this winter.
Broadwood – which opened up shop at 2, John Street, Whitby, in February - have held the Royal Warrant since 1742, during the reign of George II - longer than any other warrant holder.
It has an incredible history – having supplied every monarch since its foundation with pianos.
The firm delivered a grand piano to King George IV at Brighton Pavilion in 1821. In 1840 Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, who bought a Broadwood square for Buckingham Palace, where the young couple made music with Mendelssohn.
In the 1950s Broadwood pianos were supplied to HM Yacht Britannia, and a Broadwood grand was gifted as a wedding present to the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1981. There are eight pianos in palaces, including Buckingham Palace, Sandringham and Windsor, which they regularly refurbish and tune.
Company chairman Dr Alastair Laurence, the seventh generation of his family to be involved, is due to visit Buckingham Palace later this month to inspect the pianos.
He said: “There’s three sides to the business, first of all retailing of musical instruments which is steady and we regard as a sideline.
"The main work is with pianos. We have a workshop rebuilding pianos and making the occasional new one – that has been busy as well. Finally we tune pianos all over the country.”
Broadwood was in London’s Soho for two centuries but were forced out by in 2008 by cripplingly high rents and rates. Dr Laurence quips: “I always tell my customers that if we’d stayed we’d have to overcharge you.”
The path didn’t lead directly to Yorkshire; they spent six years at the historic piano museum at Finchcocks, Goudhurst, in Kent.
Eventually the lure of returning to his home county proved too strong for the Yorkshireman, who has a great anecdote about an agile great great uncle, a piano tuner who used to slide down the bannister at Clarence House, much to the delight of Queen Victoria’s children.
Dr Laurence said: "Three months ago we moved here with a view to continuing the restoration, tuning and building (of pianos) but also to have a little music shop where we could use the windows to attract passing trade who need guitars, strings and plectra, and ukuleles.
"Yes, it is going well. Whitby is a very musical town, there’s a lot of rockers - their tattoos and pierced ears are a giveaway as they walk through the door.
"There’s quite a strong interest, particularly from the folk and rock music fraternity.”