Here's some more pictures.

one of the top shoots

base

mockorange

i.e. Philadelphus.

If you stop pruning it so severely for a few years you might get some wonderful blooms!

And they are INTENSELY fragrant.

ooooooooh that sounds divine! I had no clue.
I'll keep the shears away :)
Thank you all for your help!

Some unfortunately have no odor.

True........I find the singles, especially the old fashioned ones were the ones who stunk pretty. I had a double one with not much aroma. My mother had an ancient one and it perfumed the whole city lot.

I'm so excited to finally find out what it is and can't wait to see it bloom! And even if it has no scent it's totally ok - I also have a large bridal wreath spirea (currently exploding with blooms!), and old rambling roses, which both have blooms with very little or no scent at all, but are simply magnificent,, I wish they lasted longer!

My house is very old, I feel grateful and honored to have and enjoy this beautiful old garden that someone before me loved so dearly and put so much hard work, patience and tender care into, that i feel it would be a crime to touch anything.

So i had to ask first..and i am so happy there's a place like this to find answers! Thank you so much, everyone :-)

I'm back to report the bush has bloomed :D I guess I didn't trim it too much last year so it had time to form the buds, what a wonderful surprise. The flowers have a faint but lovely scent, more pronounced as you get closer. Here's a pic.
Thanks again for your help, everyone.

Beautiful! So glad you got some blooms and appreciate your garden treasures. Enjoy!

So glad you finally got to enjoy the flowers!! And now, for future reference, as with all flowering shrubs, prune it to remove spent flowers & to shape it (cut back by no more than 1/3 a season) within a couple of weeks AFTER the flowers fade, not in late summer or fall (except for dead, diseased, or crossing branches anytime). That gives your shrub plenty of time to grow & form plenty of new flower buds for next year.

Apologies for such a late reply; thank you both for following up!

The blooms didn't last long but were enjoyed very much :)

weedlady, great advice, I will remember that!

Thanks again!!