The Amazing Lady P

Sonja Waites recalls Pulbrook & Gould’s extraordinary success as floral decorators, with contributions from former staff and clients and from those who supplied their unique English-grown flowers

Founded in London in the 1950s, by society hostess Susan, Lady Pulbrook (1906-2011) and her partner, Constance Spry-trained florist Rosamund Gould (1923-2025), Pulbrook & Gould quickly became established as a leader in the field of floristry - providing a bespoke service for a clientele in the top echelons of society, including members of the Royal Family, with the perfect flower decorations for significant events, from weddings to funerals and from balls to private parties.

Lady Pulbrook and Rosamund were quick to exploit their many contacts, who could supply them with their unique ingredient: flowers picked from the gardens of English private growers, including many from grand country estates, which supplemented what was available at Covent Garden Flower Market.

Sonja Waites, Lady Pulbrook’s sister-in-law, was also a partner in the business for over 40 years. In the Amazing Lady P, she provides a unique insight into what it was like to run a flower decoration business in the latter part of the 20th century, when individual style really counted and before so much of the planning and organization for big events was turned over to party planners, and tells the story of a business run by women in an era when it was rare to do so at all, let alone make a renowned success of it.