Ferndown Bark 2 Star Rusticated Poker Estate Briar Pipe [SOLD OUT]

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, as well as one of its premier pipe carvers. Ferndown pipes are highly coveted by pipe-smokers due to their superlative craftsman(and woman!)ship, whose bowls are oil-cured and which typically feature beautiful silverwork. Sadly, Les and Dolly retired from pipe-making in 2019, making Ferndown pipes rather scarce – especially given how difficult it is to get their owners to part with them.

Like many artisans in the English tradition, Les and Dolly Wood positively excelled at making classically-inclined shapes, and produced more of these shapes than the Danish-style shapes made by their European and American contemporaries. Not that Les and Dolly couldn’t make a freehand when they wanted to – they certainly could – but as both were trained at Dunhill, turning and finishing the English-French standards, they knew better than most how to do this well. This particular Ferndown is a poker, one that will sit comfortably on just about any flat surface you set it down on, dressed in the make’s signature ‘bark’ rusticated finish. The rim and base are polished smooth, and between the bowl and vulcanite stem is a sterling silver collar of Les’s own making.

The condition is good. There is some rim darkening, with the chamber ever so slightly out of round, and the base has a few handling marks – inevitable for a poker – but the condition is nonetheless more than adequate for a well-loved Ferndown.

 

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1

Bowl Width: 0.8 / 20.5mm

Bowl Depth: 1.8″ / 45.72

Weight: 1.7oz / 50g