James Upshall B Grade EXL Smooth Lovat (Unsmoked Estate)

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, along with many of the other major makes of the era. James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest hand-turned British pipes continues to endure.

During the workshop’s lifetime, most James Upshall 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 had left the company during its controversial acquisition by Dunhill).

This one takes the form of something of a staple in the late 20th century English workshop scene, that of the stout Lovat. In fact, this one is even stouter than was usual for such pipes, as it belongs to James Upshall’s Ex.L, or Extra Large series, taking on near-magnum proportions and giving it even more surface area to show off its beautifully straight and consistent grain patterning.

This pipe is completely unsmoked.

Details:

Length: 7.1″ / 180.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.94 / 23.87mm

Bowl Depth: 1.85″ / 46.99mm

Weight: 3.0oz / 86g