Heavenly Scents
Kevin Pilley reveals all the glamour, peculiar fashions and unlikely beginnings of London’s great perfume houses
The perfume houses of London have a heady history as Kevin Pilley discovers
CHARTERED surveyor Simon Brooke had no idea that he was the great-great-grandson of the founder of one of England’s famous perfume houses until he tracked down a distant cousin. “Out of the blue, he brought out a medal for perfumery awarded to John Grossmith at the Great Exhibition of 1851 and formulations for fragrances that had not been made for a hundred years!”
Grossmith was established in 1835 by John Grossmith, a farmer and leading member of the Reform Movement. His son, John Lipscomb Grossmith (1843-1921), trained in Grasse as a perfumer and was Lord Lieutenant of the City of London. In those days Grossmith had its premises at 29 Newgate Street, London, known as “The Laboratory of Flowers” and the site is now the location of the London Stock Exchange. The business moved to 45 Piccadilly in the 1940s.
The original fragrances evoked the mysterious East. “Hasu-No-Han” (Japanese lotus lily) was launched in 1888, and “Shem-el-Nessim” (Arabic for “smelling the breeze”) in 1906.
In 1897, “Victorian Bouquet” recognised Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, and in 1893 “Betrothal” commemorated the marriage of the Duke of York and Princess Mary. The company ceased trading in the 1970s but was revived by Simon and his family in 2007.
Turn back time to the 19th century and London was brimming with glamorous perfumeries, leading the world in luxury fragrance. Many of them are still there – the city’s streets holding an historic yet so far unmarked perfume trail for you to nose around.
Perfume has a history stretching back to 3,000 BC, but perfumery as we know it today has its roots in the Victorian era. It was independent British chemist Sir William Perkin (1838-1907) who came up with the first synthetic perfume, “coumarin”, described as “a scent that could transport you to a holiday in the Alps”.
From 1790, D.R. Harris began offering “freshening colognes” as well as lavender water and their classic Cucumber and Roses lotion. Henry
Harris was a surgeon and started the business with his friend, Daniel Rotely (D.R.), a chemist.
Fragrance was first sold in England by Floris, founded in 1730 by Menorcan Juan Famenias Floris. Its first shop is still in Jermyn Street with its 1820 Royal Warrant from King George IV, and a receipt of purchase from Sir Winston Churchill for “Special No. 127” and the 1786
“Stephanotis”. These are still made today.
“Floris 89” is James Bond’s favourite splash-on.
In 1620, a man called Yardley reportedly paid Charles I to provide all the soap for the city of London. The Great Fire of 1666 destroyed the evidence of the agreement but, had it taken place, the firm would be the world’s oldest perfumery by 150 years. The business was founded by the Cleaver family, who went bankrupt and sold in 1823. It became Yardley & Statham in 1873 and its signature lavender scent launched that year. A secret variety of lavender has been used since the 1930s and is grown
especially in the south of England.
Atkinsons of London opened in 1799, founded by James Atkinson from Cumberland. He originally made his name with hair pomade made from rose-scented bear grease, which was thought to be a cure for baldness.
The company was a market leader in Regency times and became perfumer for the Royal Court in 1826. Customers for its “fearlessly English” fragrances included the Duke of Wellington, Lord Nelson, Lady Hamilton and Lawrence of Arabia. The company moved to 24 Old Bond Street in 1832, and one of its most popular fragrances is named after that address. The company was relaunched in 2013 and the flagship shop is now in the Burlington Arcade. The London California Poppy eau de toilette is an update of the 1908 original.
Most fragrances in the early to mid-Victorian times were delicate and floral. Anything too sexy was associated with those of questionable