Ferndown Bark 3 Star Rusticated 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.

Ferndown’s Bark line was—typically—characterized by a mixed finish, joining smooth polished sections with rusticated ones. And it’s the latter that gave the line its name, and which was one of Les & Dolly’s design signatures. In fact, as Les discussed with us in a recent interview (which can be found bellow), the technique behind this signature finish was referred to by the two of them as “barking.” While many pipe makers have de facto trademarks for their finishes, including rusticated ones, the technique used by Ferndown was so unique (and so dangerous) that, if any variety of rustication deserved a category wholly of its own, it would be Ferndown’s. Instead of a hand-tool, the Bark’s ultra-fine, micro-rustication was achieved using modified drill bits spinning at up to several thousand revolutions per minute, against which a stummel would be held until the desired effect was achieved. Needless to say, this would be a health and safety inspector’s nightmare today, but it sure did make for some beautiful pipes. This one takes the form of a large, panel apple with a distinctive curvature, almost approaching a Zulu or even a hawkbill shape—albeit a very unique one. It also features a cumberland stem and a sterling silver collar turned by Les himself.

The condition is great. Some minor inner rim darkening, very minor finish fading, but clearly well looked after.

From Dunhill to Ferndown: An Interview with Les Wood.

 

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.62″ / 41.14mm

Weight: 2.8oz / 82g