Work Experience students

A guest post by Nikola Pelentrides and Sapphire Lynch, work experience students from Marriotts School, Stevenage

Hi, we’re Nikola & Sapphire, and as part of our time doing work experience at The North Herts Museum, we have been asked to share what we believe to be one of our favourite exhibits that spiked our interest during our time here. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Within the museum, there is a display of the original Perks & Llewellyn’s Apothecary (1783-1961) including the shelving, products in their original containers, an alligator jaw hanging from the ceiling, and even the real door and counter.

Nikola and Sapphire in the Perks & Llewellyn Pharmacy

Originally owned by the Meers family, it was then later taken over by Mr John Perks and his assistant Charles Llewellyn. This apothecary was a staple of the Hitchin community in its prime, standing on 8 High Street. The apothecary helped many who couldn’t afford the price of doctors/surgeons by assisting in minor medical practices like bleeding by leeches, draining blisters and/or tooth extractions, like that of barber surgeons of the Medieval Era.

The collection features products from the time, such as our favourites:

• Arsenic
  Arsenic was a common poison used in killing rats and was also, more sinisterly, for humans too. The Arsenic Act of 1851 restricted its sale due to its use in murder attempts.
• Carbolic soaps and toothpowder
  These products were made with carbolic acid which can be considered toxic in large quantities and cause severe burns, respiratory issues and vomiting blood.
• And most notably lavender water
  This chemist’s lavender products, formulated by Edward Perks (the son of John Perks). With fields all over Hitchin, the range of lavender products produced by Perks began to expand. By 1851, the lavender produced in the city was so popular that Queen Victoria went to Hitchin Station to pick up a bottle of essential oil. She was at the station for only a few minutes. Perks used lavender to produce shaving soap, toilet soap, toothpowder, bath powder, bath crystals as well as lavender water. In 1871 Samuel Perks – brother of William Perks – bought the business for £3,500. In 1876, Samuel owned 35-acre lavender fields across the country, which could produce 2,000 gallons of lavender water.

After the deaths of Perks and Llewellyn in 1890 and 1893, respectively, the business was taken over by Anne Sarah Llewellyn. This saw a succession of different owners of the business, none of whom were able to reach the heights of the 1870s.
In the 1960s, a combination of competition from French lavender, higher taxes forcing higher lavender prices, and the location of lavender fields sought for housing development, saw the death of lavender after 180 years.