Willmer Straight Grain (AAA) Smooth Keel Dublin (Estate)

H. Willmer and Sons was an English pipe workshop founded at some point in the mid-20th century and closed in the mid-2000s. Harold Willmer himself was the brother of Dan Tennyson, one of Charatan’s freehand carvers, and would, according to Ken Barnes, often buy bowls from Charatan’s freehand workshop, which would be subsequently finished by Willmer’s craftsmen. In addition to these pipes, Willmer also manufactured more traditional briars, which were also made by hand.

In the case of this one, if the bowl wasn’t supplied by Charatan’s freehand workshop, it was at the very least inspired by the pipes created there. A notable motif among Charatan freehands was the “Keel,” wherein the base of a bowl was shaped to resemble the underside of a ship’s hull, including a prominent bow at the very front. The Keel was incorporated into a whole variety of designs at Charatan, and it has continued to be employed by English artisans in the decades since, some of which had formerly worked at the company itself. Here it’s been merged with a Dublin rendition, and a masterfully carved one at that, given how fine and consistent its grain patterning is.

The condition is great. Slight finish fading and chamber slightly over-reamed at the top lip, though nothing major.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.94 / 23.87mm

Bowl Depth: 1.92″ / 48.76mm

Weight: 2.2oz / 64g