Wilmer Sandblasted Ring Grain Faux Cavalier Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates [SOLD OUT]

Description

Willmer was brand established by Dennis Marshall in London, England. Marshall had previously worked for Barling in the 1950s, later going on to run production at Charatan until the latter was sold to Dunhill. While at Charatan, Marshall worked with other notable British pipe-makers such as Barry Jones and Ken Barnes (later of James Upshall) and Stan Haley (later of Ashby Hall). Willmer continued until the mid-2000s, whereupon over five decades of Marshall’s pipe-making excellence sadly ended.

Looking at this Willmer, I have to wonder – has there ever been a workshop, outside of Denmark, that has produced so many extraordinarily talented hand made and freehand pipe-makers? We’ve had quite a few pipes from Charatan alums recently, and I’m staggered at just how good these pipes are. This one is no exception. It’s a sort of plateau-rim cavalier shape without the capped foot, but it’s also a perfectly balanced sitter (which, having known a few artisans in my time, is not easy, especially if you’re doing it freehand, as this one was). It’s also sandblasted exquisitely, in a way that has brought out the natural ring grain of the briar not just all around the bowl, but at the base of the stem too.

There is a tiny bit of rim darkening – and I mean tiny – but aside from that, this pipe is immaculately preserved. It’s a work of art, and it should be a fantastic smoker too. These ex-Charatan guys sure knew what they were doing.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″

Bowl Width: 23.4mm

Bowl Depth: 2″

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g