Ferndown Reo 3 Star Silver Spigot Panel Apple Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ferndown pipes were made by the legendary British pipe-maker Leslie ‘Les’ John Wood, along with his wife Dolly. Both Les and Dolly previously worked for Dunhill, where Les developed his skills and reputation as Britain’s premier pipe silversmith. After leaving Dunhill, Les and Dolly began making their own pipes, with their combined knowledge and experience, yielding pipes of a quality that, arguably, exceeded even that of their former employer. Ferndown pipes are highly coveted by pipe-smokers due to their superlative craftsman(and woman!)ship, being constructed from high-grade, oil-cured briar, hand cut ebonite, and, in many cases, sterling silver or solid gold ornamentation turned by Les himself. Les and Dolly retired from pipe-making in 2016, making Ferndown pipes rather scarce – especially given how difficult it is to get their owners to part with them.

Even after formally parting ways with Dunhill, and even after their somewhat acrimonious falling out years later (see our interview with Les for more details on that), Dunhill still came to Les Wood when they needed silver and gold mountings for their most exceptional pipes. Dunhill would also ultimately invite Les to train their newer generation in their metalsmithing division, albeit with the caveat that he was not permitted anywhere else on factory grounds. It is no wonder then, why gold and silver mounted Ferndown pipes are so prized, and why Les & Dolly’s spigot mounted pipes count among the most prized in any collection. This particular pipe is a quintessential Ferndown design, a large, paneled apple, with its excellent grain dressed in the make’s signature red-brown Reo finish, and mounted with a sterling silver spigot.

The condition is very good. Some minor wear to the rim and a slight over-reaming of the top of the chamber, but nothing major?

 

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.76″ / 44.70mm

Weight: 2.8oz / 82g