James Upshall 1980s B Grade Smooth Lovat Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

James Upshall was, along with Ferndown and Ashton, part of a new wave of British hand-made, high-grade pipes in the late 20th century, with their founders largely coming from previous positions in the factories of companies such as Dunhill and Charatan. James Upshall was founded in 1978 by Barry Jones and Ken Barnes, both of whom had previously worked for Charatan and who had worked their way up to being carvers Charatan’s higher-end, non-standard shapes. Jones and Barnes’ pipes quickly grew to being something of a status symbol, and were enjoyed by King Hussein of Jordan, Anwar Sadat, Bing Crosby, Yul Brynner, Robert Wagner and Tom Selleck. The company also made house-brand pipes for Astleys in London. Sadly, James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest hand-turned British pipes lives on.

During the workshop’s lifetime, most of James Upshall’s pipes were either Tilsheads (which functioned as an “entry level” pipe), or they were S, A, or P grades (which were the workshop’s “standard” grades). But, if a pipe was extraordinarily well grained, it had a chance to become one of James Upshall’s “high-grades.” Given that a “standard” James Upshall was already quite exceptional, these high grades were very special indeed. The “B” was the first rung on the high-grades ladder, one which the late Ken Barnes considered roughly equivalent to a Charatan Executive grade (presumably a Lane era example, as he left Charatan during its acquisition by Dunhill).
This particular pipe is one such B grade, and blends design elements favored by both Barnes and Jones. Barnes was a real enthusiast for long shank shapes (his favorite being the Canadian), while Jones displayed a marked affinity for Dublins (his first teacher was Reuben Charatan, after all). This B grade is something of a hybrid of the classical Lovat and Bell Dublin shapes, and an example of how one can use plateaux briar to its fullest advantage. Given that it lacks a size group stamp, which was only added to James Upshall pipes after Barnes departed in 1989, it’ll also be a make from around the 1980s or just slightly earlier. In other words, it’ll be a product of Barnes’ prodigious briar cutting, Jones’ prodigious bowl turning, and an agreement between the two over its assigned grade.

The condition is good. Some inner rim darkening and handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 6.0″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 1.77″ / 44.95mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g