The Familiar Scents of our Green and Pleasant Land

French perfumers have that ‘je ne c’est quoi’ that means they often spring to mind when thinking of the most famous fragrance houses and brands – Jicky, Shalimar and of course, Chanel. However, at the turn of the twentieth century there were also English perfume houses that were enjoying the sweet smell of success.

Floris is a British perfume house, which was established in 1730 in the heart of London by Juan Feminias Floris, and is still in existence today. Originally a barber and comb-maker, Floris, born in Menorca, soon missed the familiar smells of the Mediterranean and so set about recreating them in perfumes and toiletries. One hundred years later, Floris was granted its first Royal Warrant and over the next one hundred and eighty years gained no less than sixteen others. Two are still current today, one for Queen Elizabeth II and one for HRH The Prince of Wales.

However, the Royals are not the only famous names to be loyal to Floris; other fans throughout time have included Florence Nightingale, Mary Shelley and even the fictional character James Bond cited a Floris No.89 as his aftershave of choice. Floris remains today in its premises in Jermyn Street in London, as well as enjoying a high profile spot in Madison Avenue in New York.

Penhaligon’s is another British fragrance house that still stands today, almost one hundred and fifty years after its inception. Founded in 1860 by Cornish barber, William Penhaligon, he soon became Court Barber and Perfumer to Queen Victoria. Today, Penhaligon’s has a flagship store in Covent Garden, but also has other stores in London as well as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester and Windsor, plus international stores in New York, San Francisco and Hong Kong.

A third English fragrance house is the House of Girard, which by the turn of the twentieth century was well established in London and considered the height of elegance. As with Floris, it is thought that the Girard family’s roots were European, but they had settled in England seeking prosperity. By this time, fragrances were changing – no more was it simply about masking less desirable odours, but instead was all about indulgence and enhancement, with people beginning to use scents to signify their personalities.

By the 1920s post-war austerity had given way to a more flamboyant lifestyle and Girard’s beautifully designed and wrapped fragrances appealed to these new modern women, even endorsed by the infamous Bloomsbury Set. Sadly at some later time, Girard disappeared, but its old recipes have recently been rediscovered, and along with some new complementary scents, have been reformulated, and the brand is about to enjoy a renaissance in the 21st Century.

So, if you’re looking for a perfume with a sense of history behind it, there’s no need to look far afield — there’s several on your own door step.

Victoria Cochrane writes this article on behalf of a client of a digital marketing agency.  As a result, this article should be considered professionally written and not from the viewpoint of a consumer.