James Bronnley Original
Bronnley (2011)

I picked up the bottle of Bronnley this morning as, for me it is a fragrance for the warmer months or where we are blessed with a little sun. A sharp, sweet – citrusy opening. There is a "fizzy", confectionary impression, until vetiver and herbs make an appearance as the frag evolves. It sweetens as it dries and is somewhat fleeting by EDT standards.

Colin makes reference to the gloomy horror sets of a mist - shrouded England in his fascinating review. It is testament to the power of fragrance to evoke something remarkable in the mind which one can savour.

In my home in the North of England, the shrubs in many of its gardens are in their pomp, with gold, pink and red on display. Pock marked by the events of the Civil War whose former combatants managed to render the place a “Plague Village”, as the residents for the most part stayed put and took what was coming to them, rather than run for it. I'm afraid that it the most horror I can offer up from my little part of the world. Hardly worthy of Hammer.

As I travelled to work, directly into a watery spring sunrise, I passed rows of dazzling hawthorn, sporting their brilliant flowers. Field of oil-seed rape in blazing yellow, dipping and rising landscapes yielding to the dark strip of the Pennines on the horizon. These are the images which fill my mind as I spray. Bronnley's EDT will now accompany me into spring and summer with a soft - orangey spring - clean of my senses.

Starts very bright and tingly in true eu de toilette fashion and then begins to reveal a wonderful month blanc individual type vibe ..maybe a bit of penhaligons endymion without the coffee. I almost would say it's a sort of Oriental type scent to my nose but then after reading Colins review I do picture a lot of what he said ..it does feel very Britishly classic but yet at the same time modern with no sign of any connection to the fougere type of classics. In the dry down I detect a very faint vanilla/leather and I swear I almost got a whiff of strawberry ..this does get me trying to work things out in a good way ..probably way off in my description but it's certainly been fun and enjoyable wearing this. I've also received a compliment wearing this, which I rarely do with scents.

As a longtime fan of classic British horror movies produced by Hammer, Amicus or Tigon, I've always lived with a sort of “mythical” imaginary of the British countryside - permanently foggy, rainy, unwelcoming, with small shabby cottages and ghastly antique boutiques where everyone looks like Peter Cushing or the Shadmock from “The Monster Club”. Well, this little gem by James Bronnley I acquired by a complete casual chance, is the closest, most vibrant thing to all that world I've ever smelled. It has them all: while being apparently a very traditional citrus-herbal “barbershop” cologne, it has an impressive feel of dusty-camphorous decadence, impeccably blended with a distinguished smell of powdery moss, grass, aromatic herbs, vetiver and a nondescript, quite bold sort of “damp wood” feel (I think due to moss again, infused with something resembling to chamomile or sunflower), and a top accord of greenish citrus and neroli – which isn't really “zesty” or particularly fresh, rather more bitter, dry, slightly floral and creamy.

Besides being exceedingly compelling and elegant, the overall feel is just quite more bizarre and puzzling for me, and surely I wouldn't really associate this fragrance to summer. It may be just me, but I get a very dense feel of grayness, of dusty “countryside” mossiness, definitely something more autumnal for me. Think of entering a shabby cottage and catch a whiff of the inside – the smells of musty dust, cracked damp furniture, dry soaps, old books, cider dripping out of a cracked glass, the dapper landlord lying murdered on the stairs. Basically what many would refer to as an “old man” fragrance – and by “old” I would mean here two, three thousands years old. It's a spooky and amazingly fascinating foggy mist halfway archaic and funereal, it smells sophisticated and very natural, breezy yet almost oppressive, very distinguished and neat yet almost off-putting. Associations aside, as I said (and as others already said better than me) it's basically an impeccable “barbershop” citrus-mossy classic eau de cologne with a powerful sense of dusty melancholy, projecting just fine and lasting for long with an utterly enjoyable herbal-powdery drydown, still bearing a decided neroli note. Shortly a British decadent take on 4711 and the likes. Surely quite mature and fairly austere, but truly classy and pleasant. A true little gem far more unique and distinctive than it may seem by the composition, definitely worth it if you're into classic “gentleman's” stuff.

8/10

This is an affordable scent that is very reminiscent of Aqua di Palma. Lemony and lavendery.

You'll smell like a 50s film star in a freshly laundered suit. Or something.

Very light and pleasant for every day wear. This is how the company describes it:
"top notes of bergamot, Italian lemon and neroli give way to a herbal and mossy heart. A wild mint twist adds a subtle freshness complemented by a woody base of amber, cedar and vetivert."
I couldn't put it better myself and for the price well worth it.

This reminds me very much of 4711 - powdery citrus. Very pleasant and rather chic.

Also reminiscent of the best of the Mediterranean citrus scents, Acqua di Parma, and Borsari's Acqua Colonia.

Quite affordable too. Worth the investment - a very nice summer scent.