Ferndown & Michael Parks Premier (***) Sandblasted Panel with Silver (Unsmoked Estate)

About this pipe:

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.

If you’re familiar with Ferndown pipes, you’ll know that, apart from a few exceptions, Les and Dolly did not work with sandblasted finishes. Most Ferndown bowls were either fully or partially rusticated in the couple’s signature “Bark” style, and around 10% were entirely smooth polished. As mentioned, however, there were a few minor exceptions. Some of the pre-Ferndown pipes Les and Dolly made were sandblasted, as were some very early Ferndowns. Years later, a few sandblasted pipes were made by Les and Dolly for UK tobacconist James Barber, using blasted stummels from the old days. Later still, Les was contacted by a Canadian distributor who came up with an idea for a new sandblasted line of Ferndown pipes, known as the “Premier.” The production process was somewhat complicated. Les turned an assortment of bowls, which were then shipped off to Canada, where they were sandblasted by the artisan Michael Parks. The pipes were then sent back to Les and Dolly to be fitted with mouthpieces, mounted with silver, and stamped with the Ferndown nomenclature. Very few Premier pipes were made, and the subsequent Ferndown/Parks collaboration, Commonweal, simplified that process significantly by having Les send bowls he’d turned to Canada, where they stayed for the remainder of their manufacture.

This Premier is one of Les’s signature stout foursquare renditions, with a light tan sandblast, a sterling silver collar, and a black vulcanite mouthpiece.

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Details:

Length: 5.55″ / 140.9mm

Chamber Width: 0.86″ / 21.84mm

Chamber Depth: 1.75″ / 44.45mm

Bowl Height: 2.06″ / 52.32mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g