Ashton 1993 Old Church XX Sandblasted Canadian Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ashton is an English pipe brand created by William Ashton Taylor, a former Dunhill pipe maker who left the company in the 1980s to make pipes under his own name. Along with other pipe makers such as Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall, and Les Wood and Dolly of Ferndown, Ashton emerged as part of a new wave of high end, hand made British pipes in the late 20th century, most of which were created by individuals who had learned their trade in its most prestigious institutions.

The Old Church was William Taylor’s re-imagining of Dunhill’s Tanshell finish—specifically, the early, mid-century Tanshell. Like Dunhill’s these pipes featured a craggy sandblast and a light, natural stain. Also much like the early Dunhill Tanshell, Old Church were specially oil cured prior to blasting, using a precise technique patented by Taylor himself. Made at the very end of Taylor’s first decade at the helm of the Ashton workshop, this Old Church is a beautifully textured specimen, showing off the ring grain that Taylor was (and remains) legendary for.

The condition is great. Some minor wear to the rim.

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.62″ / 41.14mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g