Once upon a time an intrepid young British gentleman and a bear (yes, a real live growly bear) left the wild, rugged climes of Northern England in search of fame, fortune and fabulousness among the glittering cosmopolitan streets of London.

That Gentleman Went By The Name Of James Atkinson And The Year Was 1799

Before long everyone who was anyone was beating a path to his perfume emporium at 44 Gerrard Street in Soho to purchase his fragrant wares, with glorious wafts of Atkinsons scents delighting the delicate nostrils of London’s dames, dukes, debutantes, dandies and darlings.

His reputation for purveying the finest of fine fragrances was cemented in 1800 with the launch of a bold, confident English Eau de Cologne, as powerful and mighty as the British Empire itself. The distinctive Atkinsons flacon by now had become a must-have accoutrement in the dressing room of any self-respecting stylish lady or gentleman throughout the realm.