Richard Bond with the manuscript he found in a charity shop

Musician wants to return manuscript found in Upminster charity shop

Lee-Ann Richards, Reporter Wednesday, March 13, 2013
8:00 PM

A musician is trying to track down the original owner of a score he bought in a charity bookshop.

Richard Bond wants to return the manuscript, found in a shop in Corbets Tey Road, Upminster, to its rightful owner.

The former Upminster resident, who now lives in Suffolk, said: “A lot of work has gone into this and I think it would mean a lot to get it returned to them.

“It is very easy for someone to have misplaced it and then, without realising, taken it to the charity shop.”

Written by composer Huw Spratling, the score contains the message “for Julia Collinson darling happy 60th birthday, much love Huw Spratling” and is dated 1982.

Entitled Dunwich, it is a septet for harp, string quartet, flute, clarinet, opus 33.

Richard says he can “appreciate the amount of time that has gone into creating the work”.

He said: “I have been song writing for 10 years – but this is in a completely different league.

“The amount of work that Huw Spratling has put into this manuscript is just tremendous.

“I started to hum the melody in my head but it really needs all the instruments.”

Richard has already tried getting in contact with families with the same name living in Upminster but they were of no relation to Julia.

He has also started researching Huw Spratling, but has come up against a brick wall.

He said: “It would be wonderful if I could return it to Julia. But the chances are very slim so it would be good to pass it on to a member of her family.”

Did you know Julia Collinson or Huw Spratling? If so, call the Recorder newsdesk on 020 8477 3878.