Ferndown Root 2 Star Smooth Brandy Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ferndown pipes were made by the legendary British pipe-maker Leslie ‘Les’ John Wood, along with his wife Dolly. Both Les and Dolly previously worked for Dunhill, where Les developed his skills and reputation as Britain’s premier pipe silversmith, as well as one of its premier pipe carvers. Ferndown pipes are highly coveted by pipe-smokers due to their superlative craftsman(and woman!)ship, whose bowls are oil-cured and which typically feature beautiful silverwork. Sadly, Les and Dolly retired from pipe-making in 2016, making Ferndown pipes rather scarce – especially given how difficult it is to get their owners to part with them.

Many of the greats of handmade British pipes in the second half of the 20th century, such as James Upshall, Ashton, and Ferndown, were staffed by individuals who had learned the craft at the great pipe factories founded in the first half of the 20th century. And as such, in their new ventures, these talented individuals often employed finishes that paid homage to their former employers. James Upshall’s P grade, for example, took inspiration from the stain used on Charatan’s Perfection grade pipes (even though the P was far higher as grades went); Ashton’s Pebble Grain resembled the early Dunhill Shell (in more ways than one); and Ferndown’s Root was something of an analog to—of course—Dunhill’s Root Briar. The Ferndown Root was even more scarce than the Root Briar, however, given that 9 out of 10 Ferndowns were rusticated (“Barked” as Les and Dolly would say), given how discerning Dolly was when inspecting stummels. This one is a classic Ferndown design, a two star size, stout brandy, with a hand cut ebonite stem and a sterling silver collar turned by the master silversmith himself.

The condition is great, with just some minor wear to the rim.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.59″ / 40.38mm

Weight: 2.2oz / 64g