Ashton 1993 Old Church XXX 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, Ashton’s Old Church pipes underwent seasoning and oil curing, in a precise technique patented by Taylor himself. This particular Old Church is a richly textured Canadian, one crafted right at the end of Ashton’s first decade, back when Bill Taylor himself ran the workshop. Taylor’s patented briar treatment looks to have paid off in spades when crafting the pipe, whose longer than average stature doesn’t stop it from being exceedingly lightweight.

The condition is great. Minor finish fading and very slight tooth marks.

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.69″ / 42.92mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g