Astleys Spot Carved Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Astleys was one of London’s most historic pipe and tobacco shops. Like many pipe tobacconists, its owners had pipes made specially to be sold under the shop’s name. Astleys pipes, however, were made by some of the premier pipe manufacturers and artisans in the UK, such as Ashton, Dunhill, Charatan, Les Wood and Dolly Wood of Ferndown, and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall. As a result, Astleys pipes are prized for their quality, and as examples of the very best of British pipes.

As I’ve mentioned before in previous listings, ascertaining the maker of an Astleys pipe is by no means easy. Often it’s a case of educated estimations, based on their shaping, proportions, finish, and so on. The few exceptions to that rule tend to be cases where documentation of wholesale purchases or inventory have been preserved, or the maker themselves is alive and on good enough terms with you to confirm (as has been the case for the Astleys pipes we’ve sold that were made by Ferndown). While Kennedy Barnes has sadly passed and Barry Jones is famously reserved when it comes to his pipes, I am 95% sure this pipe was made by Jones, based on the finish alone. This may seem strange to some, but I’ll do my best to explain.
During the first decade of James Upshall pipes, the workshop only produced smooth pipes. From the mid-1990s onward however, the workshop began offering rusticated and sandblasted pipes. In its last years, Jones et al. began employing partial rustication on some of their high-grade pipes, in a manner not entirely unlike Charatan’s Rarity grade pieces. In fact, I’ve even seen it on E grades. What Upshall grade would this be equivalent to? I can’t say for certain, but it’s a beautiful pipe, with more than its fair share of straight grain.

The condition is very good. Chamber slightly over-reamed and a small nick at the top of the chamber, probably as a result of said reaming.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 1.01 / 25.65mm

Bowl Depth: 1.91″ / 48.51mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g