Astleys by Les Wood, Smooth Bent Apple Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Astleys was one of London’s most historic pipe and tobacco shops. Like many pipe tobacconists, its owners had pipes made specially to be sold under the shop’s name. Astleys pipes, however, were made by some of the premier pipe manufacturers and artisans in the UK, such as Dunhill, Charatan, Les Wood, and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall. As a result, Astleys pipes are prized for their quality, and as examples of the very finest British pipes.

Astleys was one of London’s most historic pipe and tobacco shops. Like many pipe tobacconists, its owners had pipes made specially to be sold under the shop’s name. Astleys pipes, however, were made by some of the premier pipe manufacturers and artisans in the UK, such as Dunhill, Charatan, Les Wood, and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall. As a result, Astleys pipes are prized for their quality, and as examples of the very finest British pipes.

We’ve got an interview with the great Leslie Wood, of Ferndown, coming up on the main MBSD hub in the next few weeks. This particular Astleys happens to be one that he and Dolly Wood made for London’s Astleys tobacconist. As far as Les has told us, there really wasn’t any difference between pipes made under the Ferndown name and those made for Astleys. Instead, Paul Bentley, the owner of the Jermyn St premises, would simply visit Les and Dolly at their workshop every so often, inspect the pipes that had not yet been stamped with the Ferndown name, and claim the ones he liked the most for Astleys. This one, therefore, is the equivalent of a bent apple from the Ferndown Tudor Root series. Therefore, if you happen to be looking for a mythical ‘unsmoked Ferndown,’ then I would invite you to consider that most famous line from Shakespeare: “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

As stated, this pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating to aid the break-in process.

 

Details:

Length: 5.2″ / 132.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.32″ / 33.52mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g