Nostalgia: A career that blossomed from baker's love of plants

MAKING his way through countless stalls at a market on Nicolson Street in the mid-1800s, baker Duncan Napier stumbled upon one that caught his eye.

Piled high with books, some older than others, he dug deep to discover a magazine revealing fascinating recipes for cures to common ailments, all made using everyday herbs and plants.

Rushing home at once, he put the book to the test, brewing up some Lobelia Cough Syrup, following the printed recipe word for word.

Within six months, a bad cough he had long suffered, owing to his work at a Canonmills bakery, had completely gone.

In 1860, following a lifelong fascination with plants and herbs, he decided to open his own shop, specialising in herbal remedies which, this year, is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

"We're immensely proud of all Napiers has achieved," says Dee Atkinson, who took over as owner in 1990. "And I feel a responsibility as a custodian of the business."

Duncan Napier had been abandoned at birth, and adopted by the Napier family who ran a pub in Blackhall.

"I think it was a pretty unhappy childhood for Duncan," explains the medical herbalist. "He spent a lot of time in the garden alone studying plants.

"Eventually he became a member of the Botanical Society and every week would meet other enthusiasts on Rose Street to discuss remedies. They also used to go on trips up Arthur's Seat to look for plants."

When Duncan opened his shop on Bristo Place - where it remains today - he was still working as a baker, so ran the business from 6pm to 10pm, offering advice and herbal treatments to the public.

When he died aged 91, the shop was taken over by his son and the business remained in the family until the late 1970s.

Napiers is officially Scotland's oldest and only remaining herbal house, with a second Capital branch in Stockbridge, as well as another outlet in Glasgow.