Ashton: Brindle Bent Billiard (XXX) Tobacco Pipe

William Ashton-Taylor began his pipe-making studies at a mere fifteen years of age as an assistant in Dunhill's workshop. He demonstrated great interest in and talent for the craft, which led him to move up through the ranks before he eventually left to start his own company, Ashton, in 1983. This bent Billiard from Ashton is a traditional take on the classic shape with balanced proportions, a great pipe for lovers of the simple elegance of Ashton's interpretations of Anglo-French shaping conventions. Lifting airily from a mid-set, muscular transition, the shank terminates at around the same height as the rim before joining to a smartly bent saddle stem. A subtle sandblast renders sideways-oriented growth rings visible where the ripple across the bowl's flanks. The dark stain of the stummel pairs neatly with the series' signature brindled stem.