Wilmer Straight Grain AAA, Panel Estate Briar Pipe [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.

I’ve been in this game long enough to spot a Charatan alum when I see one. The English ‘freehand’ approach, pioneered by master carvers like Marshall at Charatan, seems to be rather different to its Danish cousin. Different in style, at least – this Willmer easily stands toe to toe with something made by Preben Holm or Erik Nording as far as quality goes. It’s a large, paneled pipe, almost like a foursquare, that’s been turned by hand at the sanding disk to produce something quite magnificent. As the nomenclature suggests, it has brilliant straight grain in spades, which has been emphasized expertly by its light, blonde-brown stain.

The condition is excellent. The plateau rim is a little darkened, but the stain used on the rim is also a little darker than the rest of the pipe, so as to keep with the rugged look of the briar. The stem is without dents or scrapes, and has been polished carefully so as to preserve the ‘W’ stamp. It’s a fantastic pipe, and one I enjoyed photographing very much.

 

Details:

Length: 6″

Bowl Width: 21.2mm

Bowl Depth: 2″

Weight: 2.6oz / 75g