Modern Candles Made with History | Rathbornes | Charles Farris | Woods of Windsor
Steeped in a long-standing tradition of candle making, these historic candle makers are lighting the way for modern home scents!
Candle making is an ancient art, illuminating our surroundings and guiding our spirits for over 5,000 years!
But the idea of scenting our homes with candles in the same way we scent our bodies with perfume, is a relatively new concept. A concept that has quickly become part of mainstream culture and as common or essential as an accent cushion on your sofa!
And because it’s become so popular, scented candles have become overproduced and are a dime-a-dozen, found virtually everywhere. But not ALL scented candles are alike.
Like perfume, there is a vast array of quality and craftsmanship within the scented candle market. So who better and more equipped to create the most desirable scented candles, than those who have been doing it for over 500 years!
Traditional candle makers such as Rathbornes of Dublin and Charles Farris of London have been making candles for centuries, but have only recently created a scented candle line embodying not only the history of candle making but using traditional scents taken from the lands they are created in.
Woods of Windsor, a company that has been creating traditional bath & body products since the 1800’s, has also created a line that represents the historic locations of Britain, as they’ve partnered with English Heritage to bring history to the senses.
Lighting the way for home scents, these historic companies have produced candles that are not only of the highest standard but are exquisitely beautiful with traditional scents. Moving into a modern era, the candles are not only illuminating our surroundings but adding ambiance and mood to enhance our environment.
Founded in Dublin in 1488, Rathbornes is officially the oldest candle brand in the world!
Working from the ground up, John G Rathborne started his business from nothing and by the 1630’s Rathbornes candles were illuminating streets, homes, lighthouses and churches all across the country. Creating a safer environment for the residents of Ireland and lighting the way for sailors coming to and from.
Not only were they providing an essential every-day item with a practical purpose, they were pioneers in the candle making industry and renown for their quality and craftsmanship. Even to this day, they maintain the same traditional methods, such as their time-honored beeswax & stearin wax blend and hand pouring in small batches.
In fact, Rathbornes is so steeped in tradition, that their candles have been made in the same location for over 500 years and are a true testament to Irish craftsmanship.
The smooth beeswax complex is blended with essential oils which releases an intoxicating fragrance, demonstrating pure luxury every time one is lit. Hand-poured by generations of Ireland’s finest candle makers,
Now Rathbornes have reinvented a long-standing tradition of candle making, keeping the same tradition and history but leaping into the modern world with the expansion of scented candles; the Beyond the Pale collection.
A traditional Irish saying, beyond the pale refers to Ireland’s wild countryside experienced once you take a step past the city fence or ‘pale’.
Keeping with their strong Irish heritage, Rathbornes chose to showcase the Irish landscape and all it’s untameable, romantic wildlands.
Over eighteen months it took to expertly source and develop these exquisite scents. Incorporating the highest quality of essential oils to harness these natural elements into balanced fragrances have been added to the signature beeswax blend to ensure a slow burn.
These aren’t your typical scented candles. These are some of the world’s BEST!
Still hand-poured in Dublin today, by an expert team. Hundreds of hours have been devoted to blending, pouring and testing, and for each size of candle the best balance of wax and fragrance distribution combined with the optimum thickness of different wicks have been selected to ensure a superior quality burn.
But apart from their high standard of quality, comes their high quality of fragrance!
Featuring 6 glorious scents inspired by the Irish country-side: Wild Mint, Watercress & Thyme; White Pepper, Honeysuckle & Vetivert; Rosemary, Fougere & Camphor; Tea Rose, Oud & Patchouli; Cedar, Clove & Ambergris, and Bitter Orange, Birch Tar & Balsam.
I had the pleasure of trying the Tea Rose, Oud & Patchouli scent. And it is DEVINE!
Heady notes of waxy Irish rosebuds drift on the breeze, mingling with fresh citrus and berries in the late afternoon sunshine.
Top notes of citrus and raspberry evoke the warmth of sunshine, blended with middle notes of creamy rosebuds, vanilla, and a luscious base of oud, patchouli and amber resin for a sweeping, romantic experience.
A beautiful candle for the bedroom or even to scent your wedding!
The fragrance is a rich and regal floral scent but not overly feminine and the fragrance dispersion is phenomenal, scenting the entire space without being too powerful.
The great thing about using luxury candles is that they allow you to scent a space without being too evasive with fake notes. All of these candles smell like you have simply let the best of nature in with the breeze!
To find out more and order yourself a Rathbornes candle visit their site here:
(Banner photo shows the Rathbornes Candle factory)
Another historic candle maker is Charles Farris of London. For the past one hundred and seventy years the company has manufactured Church Candles just outside of Wiltshire.
The holder of two royal warrants, the firm provides candles for not only churches all across the country but also the royal chapels! Charles Farris candles have even adorn Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral.
But their service to England and the crown goes far beyond as they even supply a special candle to the Armed Forces for their survival packs. They are made of palm stearin, which is pure vegetable oil, so as well as providing light, soldiers can shave off slivers to cook with.
Like Rathbornes, Charles Farris has surged ahead, diversifying their brand to include a home collection with seven unique fragrance blends, inspired by London’s rich history.
I Grand Cascade (cedar, leather, birch); II Sweet Elixir (honey, cherry, citrus); III Rubus (blackberry & bay); IV Redolent Fig (fig, cassis, woods); V British Expedition (clove, ginger, tobacco); VI Garden of Eden (tuberose, lily of the valley, jasmine); VII Pinetum (pine, eucalyptus, sandalwood)
A small team still makes all the candles by hand in the original Wiltshire factory using traditional methods and the highest quality ingredients. These candles burn slowly and disperse and intoxicating scent that lingers for days afterwards!
I have IV Redolent Fig and it is warm, comforting mixture of wild green fig leaves mixed with a hint of fruity cassis, soft florals and woody base notes.
It’s deep and mysterious. Very sophisticated and mature. A great scent for a dining room or library. Also reminds me of Autumn and the falling crisp leaves being warmed by the sun.
To find out more about Charles Farris and yourself a gorgeous scented candle visit their site here:
They may not be a long-standing candle maker, but Woods of Windsor is certainly tied to history!
The origin of the Woods of Windsor luxury bath, body & homes brand comes from a small apothecary located in the shadow of Windsor castle as far back as 1770. This local apothecary served not only the townsfolk of Windsor, but also the Royal family and its distinguished visitors.
But it wasn’t until the 70’s when Roger and Kathleen Knowles acquired the run-down pharmacy, then known as the Woods pharmacy and discovered a treasure trove of old recipes for perfumery products, which had been associated with the business and sold to the residents of Windsor over the years.
This very special revelation motivated Roger and Kathleen to create a range of perfumery and toiletry products using these original formularies! Still maintaining the tradition of high quality products made with care.
This year Woods of Windsor have taken the idea of history and tradition one step further but teaming up with English Heritage to create a home collection inspired by historic landmarks.
Three different scents have been created to represent Kenilworth Castle’s Elizabethan Gardens, Osborne House and Eltham Palace. As a quintessential British Brand (who has won the Queen’s Award for Export a few times), their collaboration with English Heritage is just spot on.
The scent that I tried was Citrus & Basil.
Inspired by the Art Deco period, which can be seen in elements of Eltham Palace’s interiors, this energising and uplifting fragrance features aromatic citrus, grapefruit, lime and orange top notes combined with a zingy basil, bay and Jasmine heart and a patchouli and woody base.
It’s fresh, vibrant, and perky. Smells like pure sunshine! A perfect scent for the kitchen.
To learn more about this collection and order one for yourself visit their site here:
[Candles provided for this article were press samples. This in no way influences the opinions of the author.]
About the Author
The Perfume Expert The Perfume Expert is an online Perfume Blog, Beauty Blog and Skincare Blog all rolled into one so you can stay looking good, smelling nice and feeling great all in one place! Written by an expert you can trust, I provide you with Perfume reviews, Best Perfumes, Beauty reviews and Makeup trends that are all written with passion and an eye for excellence.
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