Ferndown Bark Magnum Partially Rusticated Panel Dublin w/ Silver Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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.

Despite having worked at Dunhill for many years—an eminently traditional pipe company whose pipes have always been, for the most part, eminently traditional in proportions—neither Les nor Dolly Wood particularly liked small pipes. It is uncommon, therefore, to find a Ferndown smaller than a Dunhill group 4. In other words, Les and Dolly, just like their friends and contemporaries at Ashton and James Upshall, preferred making pipes that were larger and more muscular than a typical English factory briar. But there were some Ferndown pipes—again, like those of Ashton and James Upshall—that were even larger than a “typical” Ferndown pipe. Ferndown pipes were usually grouped into a size system designated by stars, with one star (*) being the smallest and four stars (****) being the highest, though most were either two or three stars. However, it appears that Ferndown’s largest pipes did not adhere to this system and were, as such, not designated or stamped as such. We might call these Les and Dolly’s magnum and mini-magnum pipes, which were typically at least 7 inches in length and featured bowls whose proportions followed suit. This Ferndown is one of those pipes. It is a lengthy, towering piece, to say the least, with a bold and brash figure furthered by its paneled, plateaux-topped bowl and signature “Bark” partial rustication (which, as I’ve mentioned before, was applied using a power drill rather than a manual tool). Of course, the design hasn’t strayed from Ferndown’s characteristic English charm entirely, with the pipe also featuring a sections of smooth polished briar around the bowl, a hand-cut cumberland mouthpiece, and an engine-turned silver collar of Les’s own making.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Some very minor scratches on the base of the bowl, though nothing major by any scretch.

Details:

Length: 7.5″ / 190.5mm

Bowl Width: 1.15 / 29.21mm

Bowl Depth: 2.25″ / 57.15mm

Weight: 3.2oz / 92g