Ferndown Bark 3 Star Partially Rusticated Oom Paul 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 Les and Dolly were well-known for their excellent poker and panel renditions during the lifetime of Ferndown, other varieties of sitter shapes were quite rare within their portfolio. This particular Ferndown is, therefore, a novel sight, and a very interesting one at that. Somewhere between an Oom Paul and a full-bent billiard (I’ve opted to label it as the former), one might compare it to a Peterson 306 shape, for example, or a 304, albeit much more muscular in the quintessentially “Ferndown” style. As for the finish, that is certainly pure Ferndown. Utilizing a unique form of rustication termed “Barking” by Les and Dolly, Ferndown’s Bark finishes were applied using a split drill bit rotating at several hundred RPM. Instead of using a hand pick or similar, manual tool, Les and Dolly would hold unfinished stummels against the aforementioned drill bit and have it violently tear off chunks of briar, which was risky for the fingers to say the least. The results were ultimately worth it, of course, with Ferndown’s Bark pipes being just as highly regarded as the make’s smooth finishes—if not more.

The condition is good. Minor rim darkening, some finish fading, and slight residual oxidation on the pipe’s vulcanite stem.

 

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ / 39.37mm

Weight: 2.2oz / 64g