Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2007/January 2008 | Page 110

life

LOCAL BUSINESS

Photo: From left: Anne Loh, Christene Vessey, Kate Fleming, Daisy Cotton

Gibbs and Gurnell – Ryde’s
Historic Pharmacy

A

fter nearly 30 years at
Gibbs and Gurnell,
Chris Leslie has sold
up and handed over the reins
to a bright young pharmacist,
Anne Loh. Chris would be
the first to admit that he
hasn’t given
the beautiful
Gibbs and
Gurnell the
attention it
deserved over
recent years,
being wholly
consumed
with his work
at the Busy
Bee Garden
Centre.
However,
that has not

110

stopped him from feeling both
nostalgic and sentimental
about the pharmacy and,
with the best interest of both
his loyal customers and his
beautiful pharmacy at heart,
he has held out to find the

right person to hand over to
and is confident that he has
found that person in Anne.
Originally from East Sussex,
Anne fell in love with both the
island and the pharmacy on
her first visit this spring. A
pharmacist for 18 years, she
has worked in pharmacies
large and small and has a
vast experience across the
pharmacy profession. For
the last two years, Anne has
been looking for a pharmacy
of her own, somewhere not
just to work, but somewhere
that she could love and cherish
and she has certainly found
it in Gibbs and Gurnell.
As you cross the threshold at
Gibbs and Gurnell, you step
back in time – the pharmacy

oozes history; a myriad
extraordinary old jars line the
walls filled with mysterious
powders, leaves and bark.
It must be one of the few
remaining pharmacies in the
country where there are still
original mahogany fixtures
and fittings and the old
prescription books racked up
above the dispensary allegedly
contain Queen Victoria’s
prescriptions. Alongside this
pharmaceutical memorabilia,
you will find an exclusive
range of products from Chanel
and Yves Saint Laurent to
Elizabeth Arden and Crabtree
and Evelyn. The long serving,
dedicated and friendly staff
are there to offer advice or to
help you find the perfect gift.

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