John Bell & Croyden

John Bell & Croyden can trace its history to 1798 when John Bell opened the original pharmacy on Oxford Street, London. We are proud that John Bell and his son Jacob were pioneering pharmacists and played key roles in the founding of Pharmacy as a profession in the United Kingdom. Jacob founded the Pharmaceutical Society in 1841 (later to become The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain) and was the originator and first editor of The Pharmaceutical Journal. He was a Member of Parliament for St.Albans, an art collector and a considerable patron of the arts with friends such as artists William Frith, Edwin Landseer, and William Etty and authors Charles Dickens and William Makerpeace Thackeray. Until the advent of the 20th Century, the store was open seven days a week from 8am to 11pm. All staff were given time for recreation, religious observance and study and were actively encouraged towards self-improvement by attending lectures at the Pharmaceutical Society’s School of Pharmacy.