Ashton 2001 Pebble Shell XXX Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ashton is an English pipe brand created by William Ashton Taylor, a former Dunhill pipe-maker who left Dunhill 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 of Ferndown, Ashton emerged as part of a new wave of high end, hand made British pipes in the late 20th century.

Ashton’s Pebble Shell is unique among the workshop’s finishes during the Bill Taylor years, though in another sense it is totally consonant with his approach to pipe making. Taylor was a steadfast innovator, creating a number of patented materials (such as Ashtonite for stems) and techniques (such as his oil curing and sandblasting process) that he employed in the production of Ashton pipes. What made the Pebble Shell different was that, unlike any other finish offered by Ashton at the time, it involved what could reasonably be called rustication. But it wasn’t quite a rusticated finish. Using a process of steaming turned stummels, picking away parts of their now-softened briar, and then sandblasting what was left of the exterior, Taylor produced a pipe that was even more tactile and craggy than Ashton’s standard sandblasts—which he, of course, patented. The Pebble Shell was, therefore, something of a rusticated and sandblasted hybrid finish, a rarity inside and outside of the Ashton workshop. Like the Old Church, these pipes were often left with a light, natural finish evocative of the Dunhill Tanshell and would similarly develop a rich patina over their lifetime. The Pebble Shell was produced for a shorter period of time and in smaller quantities than other Ashton series during the Taylor years, making them highly appealing to collectors.

The condition is very good. Minor inner rim darkening and slight handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.86″ / 47.24mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g