Garden Extracts Programme

In association with this year’s Chelsea Fringe, Town House is collaborating with a number of artisans to create an exciting programme of events called “Garden Extracts”.

The programme yields an assortment of sensory experiences, which involve everything from talks on perfume-making to floral infused cakes, from ceramic workshops to a display of 18th century botanical illustrations. All the events are listed below. Numbers are limited for workshop and talks, so booking is advised.

Aside from the ticketed events, throughout two weeks Town House will be serving confectionary infused with a range of flora, including geranium, lavender and rose; together with an exhibition in our courtyard gallery of 18th century botanical illustrations.

Ceramic Workshop – “The Potting Shed”

Sat 21st & Sun 22nd May 2016
10am-5pm 45-minute sessions (£10 per person)
Location: Town House 5 Fournier Street, E1 6QE
Book now via Eventbrite – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/potting-shed-tickets-24488897953

Members of the public are invited to join ceramic artists Fliff Carr and Matilda Moreton, making unique floral decorated plates to celebrate the joy of early summer flowers.

Inspired by a collection of 18th century botanical prints hung in the gallery of Townhouse and using flowers and leaves from selected plants, learn how to create impressions in clay and apply colour with decorating slips. As well as using plants, a variety of textured floral fabrics, lace and rubber stamps will be available for use in decoration. Add words with letter stamps.

Express your creativity by adding 3-dimensional or printed features – add sculpted flowers or insects, use paper stencils or resist.

Make a garden within a plate!

Talk – Stephen Nelson “Perfume in Georgian London”

Tue 31st May 2016 @ 2.30pm (free admission)
Town House 5 Fournier Street, E1 6QE
To book a place – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/perfume-in-georgian-london-talk-by-stephen-nelson-tickets-24493256991

Talk – Stephen Nelson “19th Century English Scent”

Wed 1st June 2016 @ 2.30pm (free admission)
Town House 5 Fournier Street, E1 6QE
To book a place – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/19th-century-english-scent-talk-by-stephen-nelson-tickets-24493373339

Talk – Stephen Nelson “The Scented Room”

Thu 2nd June 2016 @ 2.30pm (free admission)
Town House 5 Fournier Street, E1 6QE
To book a place – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-scented-room-talk-by-stephen-nelson-tickets-24493909944

Stephen Nelson is a plantsman and perfumer who specialises in re-creating historic fragrances. As part of the Chelsea Fringe, Townhouse will host three talks by Stephen Nelson, centred around the English garden and its direct link to perfume over the past four centuries.

Stephen has worked extensively within horticulture and his nursery, Darasina breeds a range of plants that include pinks, lilacs and lavender, some of which have been featured in planting schemed at the Chelsea Flower Show. He also cultivates many of the perfume source ingredients for use in his historical re-creations: Damask roses, patchouli, orris, verbena, lavender and many more.

Through archival search of old recipes he has re-created compositions that by reason of expense or restricted by regulation or ethical consideration might never see the light of day; those include animal essences civet and ambergris or the use of ingredients such as lemon verbena, gum storax or oakmoss in contact perfumes.

“Each of these scented works comes with its own story: how they were made; where the ingredients were sourced and traded; how a fashion developed and so on… each one a potted social and cultural history”.

He has worked with designers, artists and many organisations including the National Trust and the V & A. Over the years, Stephen has been commissioned to create everything from resinous pomander beads to perfumed leather from the 16th century, from an 18th century spicy pot pourri to a handkerschief scent from the 19th century.

Talk – Lizzie Ostrom “20th Century Perfume and the Simulation of Nature”

Sunday 5th June 2016 @ 2.30pm (free admission)
Town House 5 Fournier Street, E1 6QE
To book a place – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/20th-century-perfume-and-the-simulation-of-nature-talk-by-lizzie-ostrom-tickets-24513591813

Lifelong fragrance fan Lizzie Ostrom, aka Odette Toilette has for the past six years been changing the way we think about scent through her cult events. Ranging from sniffable history talks to perfumed tours of art galleries, Lizzie brings an intelligence and sense of fun to discovering the sense of smell. As part of the Chelsea Fringe, Lizzie Ostrom will be giving a talk on 20th century perfume and the simulation of nature.

Lizzie has created experiences for brands including Ruinart Champagne, Fornasetti, Aesop, COS, and Peroni.  She’s spoken at cultural institutions including a Greek perfume symposium at The British Museum and the Scent of Space with the Royal Observatory Greenwich, as well as events with The Wellcome Collection, The Natural History Museum, Somerset House, and the Museum of London. Last summer she was one of the team for the Tate Sensorium, which invited visitors to taste, smell, touch and hear artworks in a dedicated exhibition. Lizzie frequently appears in broadcast media as a commentator on the industry. She writes a monthly perfume column for The Pool and is the author of the critically-acclaimed ‘Perfume: Century of Scents’, which will be available to purchase from Town House in June.