English Estates: Ashton Pebble Grain Dublin (XXX) (1984) Tobacco Pipe

Eager to become part of the pipe making process, Bill Ashton-Taylor started working as an apprentice at Dunhill in 1959 when he was only 15 years old. With a burning passion and a high standard for quality pipe making, he would go on to found the Ashton marque, whose legacy has been carried on by Jimmy Craig since Bill's passing in 2009. This piece here is dated to 1984, placing its creation a year after the marque's establishment. Stamped "XXX," this Dublin from Ashton is imbued with a subtle muscularity in its physique, though its lengthier proportions help slenderize the overall composition. At the fore, the tall, flaring bowl stands with a firm, upright posture, its chamber boasting a respectable depth. Out back, a sturdy shank transitions from the bowl and joins to a gradually tapering stem of jet-black vulcanite. For added practicality, the stummel here features a flattened underside for stable sitting. Ashton's Pebble Grain finish dresses the stummel, its rugged, chocolate-hued sandblast revealing rippling growth rings around the bowl.