Ferndown Bark 4 Star XL Partially Rusticated Panel Dublin 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.

Though often overlooked in pipe making, rustication is an art unto itself, and few can claim to have demonstrated this fact so successfully as Leslie and Dolly Wood of Ferndown. But as with all arts, it is also one that can be suffered for. The “Barking” technique used to Les and Dolly in crafting their rusticated pipes involved pressing a stummel against a split drill as it span at several hundred RPM, creating an inimitable finish, as well as plenty of digital lacerations. But, as the market for Ferndown’s “Bark” line would show, it was well worth it, with the line being among the most coveted by pipe smokers then and now.

This particular Bark is quite a rare one, not least on account of its size. Throughout Les & Dolly’s career, Ferndown pipes were typically grouped into three sizes: 1 star, 2 star, and 3 star. Very few 4 star pipes were made, and when they were, they were exceptionally large, even by Ferndown’s standards. This panel Dublin rendition, for example, is exceptionally broad-bowled, in addition to being a hair over 7 inches in length. While Les was no stranger to panel designs, the design of this one is nonetheless quite unorthodox, especially when factoring in the Woods’ use of a partitioned mixed finish.

The condition is very good. Some scuffs on the rim and minor residual oxidation on the mouthpiece, though the pipe does not appear to have seen much use.

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.98 / 24.89mm

Bowl Depth: 1.91″ / 48.51mm

Weight: 3.8oz / 108g