Ashton Ebony LX Sandblasted Billiard w/ Silver Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ashton is an English pipe brand, one originally created by William Ashton Taylor. Taylor worked at Dunhill from an early age, becoming one of the company’s most accomplished pipe makers. But Taylor was also one of a number of craftsmen and women who who left Dunhill in the 1970s and 1980s, hoping to create something of their own. After experimenting with a couple of different projects, Taylor ultimately founded Ashton, a workshop for high-end, handmade pipes staffed by himself and other industry veterans like Frank Lincoln and Sid Cooper. Later, Taylor’s team were joined by another Dunhill alumnus, Jimmy Craig, who would take over the running of the workshop after Taylor’s sudden passing in 2009. Along with other workshops, such as Ferndown and James Upshall, Ashton would play a decisive role in the emergence of a new English high-grades scene in the late 20th century and beyond.

Ashton’s Ebony line functions as the make’s house “dress pipe,” pairing an obsidian sandblast finish with accents of sterling silver, each of which is turned in-house. Unlike more typical dress pipes, however, Ashton’s Ebony pipes typically juxtapose this black and silver motif with two things the workshop is well known for: stout designs and especially craggy blasts. This one is an extra large rendition of a classic saddle billiard, showcasing a deep relief helped along by Ashton’s patented oil curing and finishing process. It all comes together in a design not entirely dissimilar from a late patent era Dunhill ODA, though with a distinct modern English inflection.

The condition is very good. Some finish fading around the inner rim.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.70″ / 43.18mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g