James Upshall Rusticated Countryman 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.

I love it when a pipe has a story behind it, and this one definitely does. If you’re unfamiliar with English handmade pipes, this funny looking Rhodesian might be something of a novelty. In fact, it’s not really a Rhodesian at all. Its proper name is the “countryman,” due to the smooth portion of the rim looking like the kind of hat that would be worn in the English countryside. It’s a shape that was invented in England, in the Charatan freehand workshop during the 1960s, and more specifically it was invented by two of Charatan’s master freehand turners: Dan Tennison and Barry Jones. As with all good shapes, it took on a life of its own, with homages paid by various other English artisans, as well as many abroad (in fact, I’m sure I’ve even seen a Pibe Dan one before). This one was made by Barry Jones in the last years of James Upshall, as part of a limited edition run that never got around to being sold to the public. It is not clear just how many in the series were ultimately made.

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

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.76 / 19.30mm

Bowl Depth: 1.28″ / 32.51mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g