James Upshall A Grade Smooth Lovat Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

James Upshall was, along with Ferndown and Ashton, part of a new wave of British hand-made, high-grade pipes in the late 20th century, with their founders largely coming from previous positions in the factories of companies such as Dunhill and Charatan. James Upshall was founded in 1978 by Barry Jones and Ken Barnes, both of whom had previously worked for Charatan and who had worked their way up to being carvers Charatan’s higher-end, non-standard shapes. Jones and Barnes’ pipes quickly grew to being something of a status symbol, and were enjoyed by King Hussein of Jordan, Anwar Sadat, Bing Crosby, Yul Brynner, Robert Wagner and Tom Selleck. The company also made house-brand pipes for Astleys in London. Sadly, James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest handmade British pipes lives on.

Like their contemporaries from Ashton and Ferndown, James Upshall’s pipes tended to be on the larger side, at least when compared to most prominent English factory makes, such as Dunhill or Sasieni. This “A” grade Upshall is closer to the group 4 or 5 output of the latter, and indeed is lightweight enough to be a comfortable clencher for many. While it may be similar in proportions to a factory make, its methods of manufacture will have been less so, as James Upshall pipes were made by hand. This allowed Barnes, Jones, and co. to be far more discerning when it came to their briar, and to bringing out the best patterns that lay within. In the case of this one, the pipe showcases brilliant bird’s-eye grain around its bowl.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.73 / 18.54mm

Bowl Depth: 1.46″ / 37.08mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g