Penhaligon's is rich with history, beginning in the late 1860's, William Henry Penhaligon left his native Penzance to establish himself as a barber in London. In Victorian England, a gentleman did not shave himself, and a man's barber was a daily confidante - albeit one wielding a razor. By 1870, William Penhaligon had a steady stream of loyal customers in London's famous Turkish Baths. 

 The Turkish Baths, at the foot of Jermyn Street, situated between the houses of government and the gentlemen's private dining clubs, were at the crossroads of power. Penhaligon's clients were royal courtiers and heads of state, the men who led the world in the era when the sun never set on the British Empire. in their honor, he created his first fragrance, Hammam Bouquet, in 1872, a rich, exotic, masculine blend. His next scent for the nobility was Blenheim Bouquet, created for the Duke of Marlborough, named for his ancestral home, Blenheim Castle. 

 It was to become a particular favorite of another distinguished member of the family, Winston Churchill. Gentlemen's scents up to this time were ususally rich and floral; Blenheim Bouquet was one of the first citrus scents created and is still recognized as a classic today. From these two sprang a library of men's and women's scents still available to this day. By the end of Queen Victoria's reign, William Penhaligon had been appointed Barber and Perfumer to the Royal Court. Since that time, Penhaligon's has been awarded Royal Warrants by Her Majesty Queen Alexandra in 1903, His Royal Highness of Duke of Edinburgh in 1956 and, most recently, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.