Ferndown Bark Rusticated Acorn w/ Silver Spigot 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.

Ferndown’s Bark series was one of those rare examples where the old phrase of “suffering for one’s art” was not mere hyperbole. As is explained in our interview with Les Wood on the main MBSD Pipes hub, “Barking” a stummel involved a split drill bit, a rapidly rotating motor, and an awareness that one wrong move could mean a deep laceration in his or Dolly’s fingers—or worse. But the results spoke for themselves, with the Bark finish being among the most acclaimed rustication style in pipe making history. Even compared to most smooth or sandblasted pipes, the Bark wins over many a mind and wallet. This one pairs a somewhat out of the ordinary shape for the Ferndown make—a kind of acorn, or bent pot—with a quintessential Ferndown finish and an equally quintessential helping of sterling silverware, turned by the master silversmith himself. In fact, this one happens to be mounted with a sterling silver spigot, a typical feature on the most prized pipes from L&JS Briars.

The condition is very good. Some minor wear to the rim, including a small nick, likely caused during reaming, but nothing major.

 

Details:

Length: 6.7″ / 170.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.57″ / 39.87mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g