James Upshall B Grade Smooth Bulldog 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, 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 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). It’s a lofty claim though, as I often find myself doing, I can’t help but wonder if Barnes was actually under-selling James Upshall pipes with this comparison. This B grade bulldog, for example looks closer to a Selected, at least for me, with its wonderfully consistent straight grain positioned perfectly so that it transforms into bird’s-eye right at the bead-lines. As it lacks a size stamp, I’d expect this pipe to have been made around 1990, before size groups work incorporated into James Upshall pipes.

The condition is great. Some inner rim darkening, but nonetheless remarkably preserved.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.82″ / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.47″ / 37.33mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g