Belt Fumed African Block Meerschaum Bent Billiard w/ Les Wood Silver Estate Pipe, Unsmoked

While just about all meerschaum pipes today are made in Turkey and carved from Turkish meerschaum, there were, pipe companies in the past also made use of meerschaum from other locales, most notably the African subcontinent. Like its Turkish counterpart, African meerschaum has a centuries-long history within the pipe industry, though unlike Turkish meerschaum, African meerschaum mining operations ceased decades ago, in part due to conflicts in the region.

The Belt was one of a few African meerschaum makes produced by English companies in the 20th century. It was manufactured by London Meerschaum, a company founded by Alistair McKay Mitchell and his wife, Ruth, in South Wales. This was not the Mitchells’ first foray into pipes, nor indeed African meerschaum pipes, as the two had operated Tanganyika Meerschaum within Africa itself. After returning to the UK and establishing London Meerschaum, the Mitchells continued to import block meerschaum using their African connections.

London Meerschaum became one of the most prominent African meerschaum pipe manufacturers of the time, and a stiff competitor to Laxey Pipes, another African meerschaum pipe company located on the UK’s Isle of Man. Like Laxey, London Meerschaum manufactured pipes under several of its own makes, as well as for major British makes that otherwise worked exclusively with briar. There is still some debate as to which of the latter were made by Laxey and which were made by London Meerschaum but, in any case, between the two, African meers were made for the likes of Comoy’s, Barling, GBD, and others.

This particular pipe is from London Meerschaum’s Belt make, and it’s an interesting one. The bowl was carved from African block meerschaum and given a “fumed” look by way of a hot press during manufacture, as was relatively common for such pipes. The mouthpiece, on the other hand, is a little more unusual, being a semi-P-Lip style. The pipe also features a sterling silver army mount, turned and fitted by Les Wood. Fans of English pipes will likely know of Les Wood as one half of the legendary Ferndown make, though even during his Ferndown days, he continued to provide silversmithing and goldsmithing services to much of of the English pipe industry, having trained in such from an early age at Dunhill and at a specialist metalsmithing college.

This pipe is completely unsmoked and comes with its original (slightly time-worn) box.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.73 / 18.54mm

Bowl Depth: 1.42″ / 36.06mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g