James Upshall Bark Group 6 Rusticated Panel Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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.

When James Upshall was founded, the company (Tilshead Pipe Co.) only sold smooth pipes. But, in the later decades of the 20th century, a strong case was being made by other English workshops, such as Ashton and Ferndown, that there was nothing stopping a sandblasted or a rusticated pipe from being handmade and high-grade—though in the case of the latter, this was something the Italians had known for even longer. The James Upshall Bark finish followed in this vein, and was often curiously similar to Ferndown’s finish of the same name. Given that Les Wood and Barry Jones were good friends (and still are, last I checked), I have wondered if something of the Woods’ approach to finishing rubbed off on Jones. As for the shaping, that’s pure Jones; a large, sturdy Dublin incorporating an unconventionally paneled shank, just as was commonplace in the Charatan workshop where he learned his trade.

This pipe is completely unsmoked. There are a few scratches on the rim, though it is possible that they could be buffed out. I’ll leave that up to the buyer. I’ve adjusted the price to reflect them in any case.

 

Details:

Length: 6.3″ / 160.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.46″ / 37.08mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g