Born in Derby but brought up and educated in Ireland, Constance Spry opened a small flower shop behind Victoria Station in London in the late 1920s and in the 30s this was followed by a school of flower arranging in Mayfair. Spry's outstanding skill and creativity made her much in demand at the highest social levels and her flower decorations became famous throughout the world; she was responsible for the flower arrangements at the wedding and coronation of the Queen. She became joint principal with Rosemary Hume of the Cordon Bleu Cookery School in London and later opened Winkfield Place, a residential school near Windsor, where young women could learn the complete art of cookery and entertaining. Before she died in 1960 Constance Spry had written twelve books on cookery and flower decoration.