Astleys Smooth Cutty Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

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.

This particular Astleys is perhaps one of the most elegant in design that I’ve seen from the make. It’s a good length, slender, incredibly lightweight, and the abundance of flame grain only serves to sense of class the pipe emanates. The shaping looks to have been done freehand, resulting in a kind of pear-cutty hybrid, so I’d imagine it was from the James Upshall workshop.

The condition is very good. Some minor darkening and finish fading on the rim.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.64 / 16.25mm

Bowl Depth: 1.41″ / 35.81mm

Weight: 1.0oz / 30g