Ashton: Pebble Grain Bent Pot (XXX) Tobacco Pipe

William "Bill" Ashton Taylor began working for Dunhill in 1959 at 15 years old, manning one of the legendary English marque's lathes after a lengthy apprenticeship. During his time at the White Spot, Bill absorbed all the secrets of the craft he could from their experienced carvers, coming into his own as a carver and marking the start of a lengthy career. After feeling the need to start his own company, Bill founded Ashton pipes in 1983, going into business for himself and holding his work to extremely strict standards of quality that have earned the Ashton name an excellent reputation. William passed away in 2009, entrusting Ashton's production to Jimmy Craig, his protege, who has maintained the stringent standards of his predecessor, creating pieces with timeless appeal and classic charm. This bent Pot from Aston takes on a form that's quite different from their usual Anglo-French style, presenting with an outline that's quite uncommon compared to standard iterations of the shape. There's a defined sense of proportion about this piece that sees the bowl rise to over two inches in height, prominently presented against the upturned stretch of shank and stem it's paired to. This combination has the additional benefit of being diamond shaped, adding an appreciable degree of structure to this composition, with the pair taking on a consistent taper from the transition. Up front, we see the fore of the bowl sweeping upward in a gentle arc, rising to a broad, softly rounded rim whose breadth is informed by a flare to the aft wall. Dressing this piece is the warm sandblast of the Pebble Grain finish, revealing handsome grain and complemented by the jet-black of the saddle stem.