After Thomas Wood’s untimely death, John Denison, then Music Director of the Arts Council, took on the chairmanship. By 1954, Thurston Dart had joined the Board, and he was to play a major role in an extensive publishing programme of early music, including bringing up to date the various Fellowes’ editions in the light of later scholarship. Furthermore, Arthur Braley’s prudent stewardship of financial resources not only provided the funding of Dart’s programme, but also enabled shareholders to receive an annual dividend!

In 1956, the need for storage space was met with the purchase of a redundant Methodist church in Reigate. The following year, the London lease was not renewed and the firm forced to move to the opposite side of Newman Street. With the upheaval of the transfer to the two new premises still incomplete, Arthur Braley was taken terminally ill.

Arthur Braley’s son, Bernard, a chartered secretary, had given particular assistance to the firm on contractual matters, receiving a small honorarium. On his father’s death, he assisted with a complete review of the company’s affairs whilst continuing his full-time job as a data-processing manager, and joined the Board. In the next few years, the company affairs were effectively supervised by Thurston Dart, who found time alongside his considerable professional duties and other interests to oversee all the firm’s editorial work, with Bernard Braley keeping an eye on financial and legal matters. Arthur Bonner, who had joined the firm as clerk in the mid-fifties, managed the daily running of the company. In 1962, Allen Percival, then Music Director and later Principal of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, joined the Board. The following year, the first Early English Church Music volume was published for the British Academy — a series now of some forty-seven books.

In 1960, the firm Galliard Ltd had been set up following the sale of the catalogues of Augener, Joseph Williams and Weekes to Stainer & Bell’s United States agents since 1931, Galaxy Music Corporation. John Denison also chaired Galliard Ltd and the American owners sought closer co-operation between Galliard, Galaxy and Stainer & Bell. At the beginning of 1966, Bernard Braley went to Galliard as Managing Director, and in 1967, accepted a similar role in Stainer & Bell, with the companies gradually sharing various services. The Stainer & Bell Board was divided about the extent to which this co-operation should be taken, but eventually a marketing and distribution partnership was formed. Early in 1971, Thurston Dart died when aged only forty-nine, but not before completing the task he had set himself in regard to Stainer & Bell’s early music editions. After John Denison’s retirement from the Board, the chairmanship too had fallen to Thurston Dart.