Lishman's Chemist

Welcome to Lishman’s Chemist, a time capsule from 1960’s pharmaceutical care. Like today, being a chemist was a highly skilled role. The set of small drawers housed dry drugs, and many proficient chemists created their own remedies as well as stocking patented medicines.

Our traditional shopfront came to us from the nearby market town of Helmsley when the store was modernised. It's easy to spot! The large carboys, or glassware, filled with red and blue liquid, started being used to advertise the pharmacy trade during the eighteenth century. The coloured waters were supposed to resemble chemical solutions on sale within.

Inside the shop, you’ll be transported by rows of colourful glassware – attractive cobalt blue bottles held syrups, but beware the poisonous green. Not for the fainthearted, poisons were widely accessible in Victorian times, stocked by apothecaries or chemists for a range of purposes including for poisoning pests and vermin.

If you want to avoid turning green with envy, like our bottles, how about adopting this special building before someone else does!