Our Remarkable Story

A return to the magic and true artistry of the perfumer, recreating a range of legendary perfumes from the past which have been gently updated to reflect today's fashions. They are a fusion of the old and the new, totally unique and distinctive.

'The Art Of The Perfumer' represents the last six years work to create this range which are still rich in pure essential oils but display a richness, warmth and depth often lacking in today's marketplace. 

Perfume filling

The perfume bottles being hand filled in the workshop.


For the past 30 years, Barry Gibson has researched and recreated some of the most legendary fragrances created in the Victorian era.

Trained as a clinical biochemist, his interest in perfumery started when he purchased a library of rare books and catalogues on perfumery which dated back to 1649. He began to recreate these legends from the past and was surprised at the depth, warmth and richness of these perfumes which were based on only 500 natural essential oils and ingredients which were available at that time. Today's perfumery is mainly based on thousands of synthetic aroma chemicals. 

The public response to these fragrances was incredible and he was invited to create a perfume for Queen Elizabeth II to present to Queen Sirikit on the occasion of the official State visit to Thailand in 1996. This was a haunting floral of the orchids from high in the rain forests. This was followed shortly by a request by Buckingham Palace to create a perfume for them to present to the Queen for her 70th birthday. This was based on a fabled rose perfume from 1669.


This page is from a catalogue of the early 1800's which represents the type of archive material held.

 

Studio

The laboratory of our perfumer, Barry Gibson, who gained International recognition for his work in recreating the legendary perfumes of the past. He is highly regarded for the recreation of ‘Marechale’ the fabled perfume from 1669. He has also presented perfumes to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her 70th birthday and as gifts to Queen Sirikit of Thailand.

His wonderful perfumes are all handcrafted using time-honoured traditional methods.