Ferndown (Antique) Bark Rusticated Canadian w/ Silver Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ferndown pipes were made by the legendary British pipe maker Leslie “Les” John Wood, along with his wife Dolly. Both Les and Dolly previously worked for Dunhill, where Les developed his skills and reputation as Britain’s premier pipe silversmith. 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.

While stamped simply as a “Bark,” this particular Ferndown is an example of what would, a little while later in Les and Dolly’s career, become known as the “Antique Bark.” The difference is quite simple. Les would turn stummels and Dolly would decide whether it was to be a smooth finish or a rusticated one (Dolly was, after all, a veteran of Dunhill’s finishing department). Both Les and Dolly would then take the latter and rusticate them by way of a split drill bit rotating at dangerously high speeds. Then, Dolly would make a further decision as to whether the stummel should be given a black and red contrast stain (in the case of the Bark) or be dressed in a much lighter, tannish hue. The later were much rarer than the Barks, given that lighter finishes require much more aesthetically consistent briar, even after rustication. This Canadian is what the final product typically looked like. As for the pipe itself, while it is just a single star as far as its designated size group goes, it is a surprisingly large pipe, coming in at nearly 8 inches in length. It’s a little reminiscent of the extra-long shank motif found in Italian pipes, especially with the pipe’s granular finish.

The condition is great. Some very minor inner rim charring.

 

Details:

Length: 7.8″ / 198.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.51″ / 38.35mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g