Ashton 1990s Pebble Grain EXL Squat Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ashton is an English pipe brand created by William Ashton Taylor, a former Dunhill pipe-maker who left Dunhill in the 1980s to make pipes under his own name. Along with other pipe-makers such as Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall and Les Wood of Ferndown, Ashton emerged as part of a new wave of high end, hand made British pipes in the late 20th century.

Aside from the “Magnum,” the “EXL” was (and still is) the largest size group produced by Ashton. At nearly 8 inches in length, however, I’d be more than comfortable calling this Pebble Grain a magnum, even if with a small “m.” The design is a squat bulldog that appears to have taken a leaf out of Dunhill’s book, being strongly reminiscent of the latter’s mid-century O, 580, and ODA 838 shapes. Then again, Ashton always was something of a “more Dunhill than Dunhill” make, with Taylor himself even patenting his own method of oil curing and sandblasting Ashton’s bowls. Though it lacks a date code, this one will have been made under Taylor’s tenure around the 1990s. As to why it lacks a date code, it is said that, during the 1990s, Ashton pipes imported into the USA were not given date codes, as it was feared that, if a pipe stayed on the shelf for a long time, customers would not want an “old pipe.” Ironically, these days, Ashton collectors tend to consider the older pipes to be the most valuable.

The condition is very good. Inner rim darkening and a few small scratches on the stem.

 

Details:

Length: 7.7″ / 195.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.95 / 24.13mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ / 39.37mm

Weight: 3.8oz / 108g