James Upshall (c.1980s) Rusticated “Keel” Bent Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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. James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest hand-turned British pipes continues to endure.

While James Upshall pipes are well known for their superbly grained, smooth finished pipes, the Tilshead workshop also offered rusticated pipes for much of its existence. In fact, there were two different rusticated finishes for James Upshall pipes at different points in time, though one was far more short-lived than the other, and is, as such, much rarer today.

If you’ve been following MBSD Pipes, you’ll have noticed that we’ve had
quite a few James Upshall pipes from the “Bark” series come through our estates department. The finishing on those pipes is very “English” and woodsy, being closer in style to the rustication seen on Ferndown, or Northern Briars pipes, for example. That was the second rusticated finish worn by James Upshall pipes, however. Before that, there was another rusticated series, one that appears to have simply been referred to as “carved.”

According to Barnes, while the Tilshead Pipe Co. only made smooth pipes during its first decade, around 1987 the decision was made to branch out and manufacture a small number of rusticated pipes as well. In this instance, the inspiration for the type of rustication chosen was rather Italian in style, no doubt because it was Italian artisans who Barnes & Jones looked to for inspiration and guidance as to technique (in terms of which Italians, Barnes vaguely recalled a connection to Ser Jacopo).

This particular pipe comes from the Tilshead workshop’s early forays into rustication, being an example of the pebble-dash “carved” finish offered toward the end of the 1980s. While the dress is somewhat Italian, however, the shaping is proudly English. Back at the Charatan factory, the distinctive “footed” motif seen here had a name, the “keel,” owing to its maritime aesthetic.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original sleeve.

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.73 / 18.54mm

Bowl Depth: 1.66″ / 42.16mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g