Ferndown 2000 Tudor Root 1 Star Smooth Dublin w/ Silver Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ferndown pipes were made by the legendary British pipe making husband and wife duo Leslie “Les” John Wood and Dolly Wood. Both Les and Dolly previously worked for Dunhill, where Les developed his skills and reputation as Britain’s premier pipe silversmith, and Dolly helped perfect the company’s pipe finishing processes. After leaving Dunhill, Les and Dolly began making their own pipes, with their combined knowledge and experience, yielding pipes of a quality that, arguably, exceeded even that of their former employer. Ferndown pipes are highly coveted by pipe smokers due to their superlative craftsman(and woman!)ship, being constructed from high-grade, oil-cured briar, hand cut ebonite, and, in many cases, sterling silver or solid gold ornamentation turned by Les himself. Les and Dolly retired from pipe making in 2016, making Ferndown pipes rather scarce—especially given how difficult it is to get their owners to part with them.

Having worked in Dunhill’s finishing department for many years, Dolly Wood had an especially discerning eye for grain. When she and Les Wood started making their own pipes, it was Dolly that decided which of the stummels Les had turned were fit to be left smooth, and which would be sandblasted or rusticated. As a result, around 90% of the pipes Les and Dolly made across their career were given the latter treatment, with the majority of those being “Barked”—i.e., given the Woods’ signature, ultrafine rustication. The remaining 10% were left smooth; the Root was given a light, natural smooth finish; the Tudor Root was orange-brown; and the Reo was a deep burgundy, not entirely unlike the Dunhill Bruyere.

This particular Ferndown is a Tudor Root, and a rather interesting one at that. Les and Dolly made a few, special, limited release pipes over the years, most of which were for Dan Pipe through their German-market Elwood make. But, in 2000, they also made pipes to mark the new millennium. One such pipe was through James Barber, Les and Dolly’s UK distributor (who was not permitted to sell Ferndown-brand pipes due to a licensing agreement). Another, however, does appear to have been via the Ferndown brand, which is where this pipe would have come in. With its thick, sterling silver collar and lashings of flame grain around the bowl, this would have been a very nice pipe to ring in the new year with—or, indeed, to celebrate any occasion with.

The condition is very good. Minor inner rim charring and chamber slightly over-reamed.

Details:

Length: 5.9″ / 149.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.94 / 23.87mm

Bowl Depth: 1.63″ / 41.40mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g