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The Bermuda Perfumery was founded in 1928 by William Blackburn (W.B.) Smith and
his daughter Madeline Scott. With the assistance of Eminent French Perfumers, Easter
Lily Perfume was first produced experimentally in a small wooden building in Bailey's
Bay. The family gradually acquired the surrounding properties to a total of six
acres, which is immense to Bermuda standards. New fragrances were added, such as
Sweet Pea, Eve, Gardenia and Jonquil. Most were successful but not all. Jonquil
was judged to be too sweet and heavy by the public and was dropped.
Bermuda and the Perfumery prospered, even during World War II. The Island was essentially
insulated from the cataclysms that were shaking the rest of the world and there
were enough visitors to sustain the Perfumery. The pace of life in Bailey's Bay
was still determined by the clip-clop of the horses as the carriages moved, leisurely,
over the powdery white coral roadways.
The war finally ended and tourism took off in Bermuda. The Perfumery was now an
attraction, and, the carriage drivers started bringing visitors in large numbers-
no doubt prompted by the silver theepence per load which W.B. cheerfully gave them.
The gardens were coming into their own and traditions were being established. One
was the decoration, in its entirety, of the screen at Holy Trinity Church with Easter
Lilies from The Perfumery on Good Friday. Another was the sending of Easter lilies
to the Queen Mother.
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In 2004, the Brackstone family acquired the Bermuda Perfumery and moved its operations
to historic Stewart Hall in St. George's in the heart of UNESCO's World Heritage
Site. The same traditions and methods of perfume making are still pursued to this
day with the guidance and assistance of Mr. David Botello, the Perfumery's perfumer
for the past 43 years. Each bottle continues to be filled individually by hand by
our dedicated staff. Everybody at the Perfumery is very proud of our perfumes and
is dedicated to manufacture the highest quality perfumes with the best quality ingredients
from around the world.
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