Willmer AAA Straight Grain Bent Apple Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

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.

While Harold Willmer did not work directly for Charatan, he did sometimes source bowls from them, and his brother was one of Charatan’s freehand carvers. However, I can’t help but think that something of Charatan rubbed off on on Harold and his sons when it came to pipe design. Whether or not this particular Willmer started its life as a Charatan bowl, I do not know, but it displays the hallmarks of the latter’s style in an almost uncanny manner. It is, after all, a relatively traditional – though large – bent apple, but it deviates subtly from tradition in the fluting of its fore section, its plateau rim, and its remarkable straight grain. That this Willmer achieved a triple-A Straight Grain grade it by no means surprising.

The condition is very good. Some inner rim darkening. This Willmer comes with its original box, which is a little worn.

 

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.6″ / 40.64mm

Weight: 3.0oz / 86g