ONE of the in-demand guests at the launch of the new Bombay Sapphire Distillery was the man behind the spectacular glasshouses – English designer Thomas Heatherwick.

Thomas was chosen by Bombay Sapphire to design the two glasshouses which house the spices and plants needed to make the iconic spirit.

One of the glasshouses is dedicated to maintaining a Mediterranean climate as a home for the plants such as lemons and juniper berries whilst the other tropical glasshouse is home to plants which produce items needed for the gin such as coriander seeds.

Thomas and his team from Heatherwick Studio worked with staff from Kew Gardens, in London to ensure that the design of the glasshouses accommodated the plants and spices needed to make Bombay Sapphire gin.

The designer told The Gazette: “It has been an enormous honour to be trusted to work with this historic paper mill that made the British Empire’s bank notes for two centuries and to try and think how we could take such a derelict and dysfunctional site and reconnect it.

“Key to that was opening up the river, and then the glasshouses were particularly challenging to do, but actually what I am proudest of as a team was opening up the river again and widening it.

“The purest water in Britain runs through our site. I feel so lucky to have had the chance to do this.”