A Gentleman's London, Episode Eight: D.R. Harris & Co.

D.R. Harris and Co. opened in 1790 and is London’s oldest pharmacy, specialising in shaving products, aftershaves and colognes, and skincare items for men and women. Alongside this impressive range there is also a fully functioning pharmacy for which they hold the Royal Warrants to Her Majesty the Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales. Their shop has many original old items of furniture and it is simply a pleasure to shop here. The vast majority of their own brand products are made and packed in England.  They state on their website that “the majority of our products are still produced by traditional methods, being hand-made and packed in our own premises in London.”

 

Located at 29 St James’s Street, London.

 

https://www.drharris.co.uk/about-us

 

ABOUT US

The story begins just before 1790 at No. 11 St. James’s Street where Harris’s Apothecary set up shop.

 

Over the next fifty years the family established a reputation selling Lavender Water, Classic Cologne and English Flower perfumes to this fashionable quarter of London.

 

One of the proprietors, Henry Harris, was a surgeon, while Daniel Rotely (D. R.) was an early Pharmaceutical Chemist.

 

For over two centuries this family business in the centre of men’s Clubland has served the gentry and the court of St. James’s and in 1938 was awarded the warrant as chemists to her Majesty The Queen, later the Queen Mother which was held until her death in 2002. In 2002 we were also appointed as Chemists to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, an honour that was added to in 2012 when we had the Royal Warrant for Her Majesty the Queen bestowed upon us.

 

Today we continue to offer outstanding levels of service at our traditional Chemists’ shop at 29 St. James’s Street which includes much of the original furniture. We continue to adapt with the times, however, and our fine selection of soaps, shaving creams and soaps, aftershaves and colognes, skincare products and much more, continue to appeal to all those who appreciate quality and distinction the world over.

 

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY

We aim to be as carbon neutral as possible and work hard to achieve this. One of the key areas of improvement has been in our packaging. We no longer use cellophane to seal packets and nearly all of the materials used are recyclable. Glass bottles can be re-used and wooden bowls can be re-filled.

 

We source as many products as possible from the UK, cutting down on delivery miles and supporting British business. We’re proud that most of our packaging is made in the UK.

 

Since June 2018 we have been working with our partners Eden Reforestation Projects and through them we now plant a tree for every purchase made online and in-store. For every trade order 5 trees are planted. We see this not as a cure-all solution for the environmental impact of our business but it is a project we believe in and we are pleased to be able to support it. You can read more about the initiative here.

 

In our shops and warehouse we recycle all our waste, using specialist companies. We dispose of any out of date liquids, creams and solids using a specialist industrial waste company. In the pharmacy we have specialist drug disposal bins. If you have any unwanted or out of date medicines please feel free to bring them in for safe disposal.

 

The shop on Piccadilly has recently introduced refill stations where we will be delighted to assist you in refilling your empty bottles with a range of our shampoos, conditioners, shower gels and soaps.

 

We’re keen that customers should be able to order and receive D. R. Harris products easily around the world. However, we also endeavour to be as environmentally friendly as possible which is why we have partnered with DPD who have managed to make their process completely carbon neutral.

 

For customers within a 1-mile radius of St. James’s Street we will be happy to deliver to you on our customised delivery bike upon request.