In the world of perfumery, fragrance is not just about delightful aromas; they might be considered an art form that transcends time and space, connecting us on a deeper level to emotions and memories. The artistry of scent is very much like that of poetry; it has the power to transport us, though our imagination, to romantic places and landscapes we might never have visited and to moments in time that are long past.
Our latest eau de parfum, Roses for Keats, is a fragrant testament to the journey of the famous Romantic, English poet, John Keats, as he explored the picturesque mountains and lakes of the Lake District in the mid-summer of 1818. This fragrance encapsulates the essence of these wanderings, the wild beauty of the region, and the timeless elegance of the wild roses of the hedgerows. Join us on this olfactory adventure as we delve into the heart of this eau de parfum.
‘Roses for Keats’ is more than just a fragrance. It is a heartfelt tribute to the timeless legacy of a celebrated English romantic poet. John Keats’ brief yet intense life was filled with passion and poetry and he continues to inspire and resonate with hearts across the generations. Keats departed this world at the tender age of 26 in 1821.
For our fragrance, we sought to capture the essence of his wanderings, Keats’ poetic spirit and his love of nature. His poetic journey through the Lake District can be traced through his letters, from June 1818, as he walked with a friend on a journey through the picturesque mountains and lakes of Cumbria. As he wandered from Lancaster to Carlisle, he encountered the unspoilt dramatic beauty of the Lake District, where nature’s splendour and poetry intertwined. Today, this same landscape is now the Lake District National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It still remains largely untouched and so it is easy to envision Keats treading the same pathways and lanes lined with wild flowers, ancient moss covered stone walls, and fern cloaked mountain sides. Such sites and the scents of these places can still be experienced by anyone seeking adventure and escape from the day to day pressures of life.
Our fragrance is inspired by a whimsical and imaginary thought of a Rose for Keats, worn perhaps as a buttonhole one day in June, long ago. Immersing ourselves in Keats’ letters, we delved into the details of his journey, painting a vivid picture of the places and views that left an indelible mark on his soul. Among these musings, we might easily imagine him plucking a wild rose, a symbol of untamed beauty, to adorn his coat. Through this playful thought and the knowledge that Keats loved roses, represented in a particular sonnet, ‘To a friend who bought me some roses’, we began to explore ideas for a new personal scent.
“I saw the sweetest flower wild nature yields,
A fresh-blown musk-rose; ’twas the first that threw
Its sweets upon the summer: graceful it grew
As is the wand that queen Titania wields.
And, as I feasted on its fragrancy,”
Keats’ route took familiar paths still use today and as we trace Keats’ footsteps through the Lake District, we find a delightful connection to our own Bath House story. In 1818, Keats would certainly have passed the site of our Bowness store, and his stay at the Salutation Inn in Ambleside places him just next to our Ambleside store. We can imagine the poet discovering hidden gems like Stock Ghyll Force and the Castlerigg Stone Circle, each leaving an indelible mark on his heart. In the vibrant greenery and the melodious whispers of the waterfalls, he found the essence of nature’s poetry.
To breathe life into our vision for this fragrance we collaborated with Ruth Mastenbroek, knowing her sense of artistry and perfume would find a way to interpret our ideas for a scent to celebrate the romantic nature of John Keats. The resulting eau de parfum is the essence of Keats’ romantic journey into a floral fragrance capturing the heart and soul of the Lake District.
At the heart of this beautiful scent are the pale blooms of a romantic wild rose, unfurling its petals with the rising sun. As the fragrance unfolds, a zesty, floral scent emerges, with top notes of bergamot, mandarin and dry pear. The dancing vibrancy of citrus and fresh greenery sets the stage for the heart notes. Delving deeper into the fragrance, an intoxicating bouquet of rose, gardenia, geranium and pale violet leaves take centre stage. The precious base notes of this fragrance mellows with a warm embrace, drawing from the natural complexity of this rose’s scent, with a richness of amber and the precious woods of cedar and sandalwood creating an mesmerising dry down that lingers like the essence of a timeless poem.
In Roses for Keats, we celebrate the profound beauty of nature, the spirit of poetry and the lasting legacy of John Keats. This fragrance is a heartfelt tribute to the romantic wanderings of the young poet and a testament to the enduring power of art and inspiration. As you embrace the scent of Roses for Keats, we are sure it will transport you to the idyllic landscapes of the Lake District, where poetry dances with the wild beauty of roses, forever entwined in an eternal embrace.
