In the courtyard of the Home of Rolls-Royce in Goodwood, West Sussex, a rare flower - the Phantom Rose - is cultivated.
Bred solely for the marque as a source of inspiration, Rolls-Royce's Global Centre of Luxury Manufacturing Excellence is the only place in the world where this rose can be found.
His family has been breeding roses since 1879, establishing a tradition of beautiful blooms associated with the Harkness name. Today, plants and flowers bred by Harkness Roses remain a constant favourite on the international horticultural scene, winning gold at the prestigious RHS Chelsea Flower Show more than 25 times in the last 50 years.
The Phantom Rose grows in a specially designed bed, fringed with lavender, running alongside the reflection ponds adjacent to the marque's award winning Sir Nicholas Grimshaw plant. Indeed, it is no coincidence that both Rolls-Royce associates and the marque's Bespoke Designers can view the rose bed through the plant's floor-to-ceiling glass as they work
Stems of the rose were flown to awaiting master artisans from world-renowned porcelain manufacturer Nymphenburg, Bavaria, Southern Germany. Here, the rose was examined in its varying stages, from bud to full bloom, before being crafted by hand for the Gallery in the finest black and white porcelain ever created by the company.
The development process alone lasted three months in order to achieve the same level of delicacy as the Phantom Rose itself. More recently, the Phantom Rose acted as a primary point of inspiration for Rolls-Royce Bespoke Designer Ieuan Hatherall. It was here that an extraordinary Bespoke commission began, consisting of over one million stitches, for a Swedish entrepreneur with a passion for flowers. The Phantom Rose is illustrated in varying stages of maturity in the finest embroidery throughout the interior of a highly unique, one-of-a-kind Phantom.
