James Upshall P Grade EXL Smooth Panel Shank Bent Billiard (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. James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest hand-turned British pipes continues to endure.

The “P” was the highest of James Upshall’s “standard” grades, and one notable for its excellent grain patterns. Taking its name from Charatan’s “Perfection” grade, the “P” was Barry and Ken’s attempt to create their own version of the warm, walnut contrast stain used by Charatan on such pipes. The Upshall boys were a little bolder when it came to comparing the “P” to Charatan in terms of quality, however. As Ken Barnes would later recount, the “P” was, rather, much closer to Charatan’s “Distinction,” presumably those of the quality Barnes and Jones saw first-hand when working there (under Reuben Charatan and Herman Lane, and Herman Lane, respectively).

And, also like Charatan, James Upshall’s size groups included a separate category for especially big pipes: the “Ex.L,” or “Extra Large.” Typically, these were oversized works that were somewhere between a group 6 and a magnum, though as I’ve mentioned before, the Tilshead workshop’s approach to size categories was not entirely set in stone (or wood, for that matter). This gorgeous, panel-shank bent billiard rendition, for example, is most certainly a magnum, and it is odd that it wasn’t bumped up to an “Old England” grade (used by the workshop for its magnum-sized “P” grades). Whatever the reason for it, I’ll still price the pipe as an Ex.L, which should be a bargain for the big pipe guys out there.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 8.2″ / 208.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 2.00″ / 50.8mm

Weight: 2.8oz / 80g