Ashton 2006 Old Church XXX Sandblasted 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.

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 one, an XXX size, is a classic, army mount bent billiard, with exactly the deep, rugged sandblasting one expects from pipes made during the Bill Taylor years—i.e., those years when Bill Taylor was at the helm of the Ashton workshop. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it might be strawberry briar, (also known as arbutus), which is famed for the stark relief it exhibits during the blasting process. However, I do know better, and know that it is instead Tuscan briar, from the sawmills that Taylor had close relationships with, allowing him to select only the best briar for his works.

The condition is good. Minor rim darkening, slight handling marks. and a slight over-buffing of the finish, but nothing that stops the pipe being a beautifully craggy specimen of Taylor’s craft.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.76″ / 44.70mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 62g