James Upshall P Large Smooth Rhodesian Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

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. Sadly, James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the very best handmade British pipes lives on.

James Upshall’s P grade designation was one of the more deliberate links made between the company and Charatan, where its head craftsmen had previously worked. Per Ken Barnes, the warm, walnut stain used for P grades was an homage to the one used on Charatan’s mid-century Perfection grade pipes. On the other hand, while the Perfection was more of an entry-level offering (at least after the vast expansion of grades during the Lane era), Upshall’s P grade was on the higher end of what the workshop typically sold, having better grain than the S and A grades. This one is a beautiful, large Rhodesian, with more than a subtle nod to the Charatan freehands in its thick, long shank and shorter saddle stem.

This Upshall is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. It comes with its original leather sleeve. The box pictured is for display purposes only.

 

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.42″ / 36.06mm

Weight: 2.8oz / 80g