D.R. Harris
THERE’S A WONDERFULLY reassuring, nanny-knows-best quality to DR Harris, the grandest of London chemists that’s ministered to the health and hygiene of the haute monde since it opened its doors at the end of the 18th century. The dandies, bucks and blades who roistered with the Prince of Wales at Carlton House found themselves in frequent need of morning-after pick-me-ups. From its premises in the heart of Clubland, DR Harris was perfectly placed to alleviate the symptoms of their most intractable hangovers. Such was the reputation it acquired among successive generations of blue-blooded topers that, come the 1860s, with another high-stepping and hedonistic heir setting the pace in Society, it formulated its fabled ‘Reviver’, recently reinterpreted as a cocktail bitter. If you’re seeking to prove the hair-of-the-dog theory, start here.
Well-being restored, one is free to soak up an atmosphere redolent of the Edwardian nursery. A five-minute contemplation of the old-fashioned sponges and Mason Pearson hairbrushes leaves me feeling like a newer, cleaner and altogether more virtuous man. The aroma alone is invigorating: a compound of almond, lavender and sandalwood soaps, and ownbrand colognes and aftershaves with names like Arlington, Marlborough, Windsor and Bay Rum.
See also: Geo F Trumper, Truefitt & Hill
