Ferndown Reo 1 Star Smooth Bulldog w/ Silver 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.

Having worked in Dunhill’s finishing department for many years, Dolly Wood had an especially discerning eye for grain. When she and Les Wood started making their own pipes, it was Dolly that decided which of the stummels Les had turned were fit to be left smooth, and which would be sandblasted or rusticated. As a result, around 90% of the pipes Les and Dolly made across their career were given the latter treatment, with the majority of those being “Barked”—i.e., given the Woods’ signature, ultrafine rustication. The remaining 10% were left smooth; the Root was given a light, natural smooth finish; the Tudor Root was orange-brown; and the Reo was a deep burgundy, not entirely unlike the Dunhill Bruyere.

This is an example of the latter, the Reo, though it’s a very unusual one. Les and Dolly’s bread and butter was classic, Anglo-French shapes, albeit typically with a little extra heft to them, and while Les did, on occasion, explore forms that were somewhat adjacent to Danish freehands, it’s rare to see as modern a design as this one in the Ferndown portfolio. I suppose one might consider it a “quaint” shape of sorts in the English context, though one might also draw comparisons to some of the distinctive bulldog renditions of the Danish legends, such as Poul Ilsted, and others in the “Svendborg school.” In any case, it’s a refreshing change of pace, even speaking as someone who adores Ferndown’s standard fare.

The condition is great. Some slight scratches on the bowl and at the top of the chamber, though nothing major.

Details:

Length: 5.9″ / 149.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.64″ / 41.65mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g