Pebble Grain Billiard with Silver (XX) (2026) Tobacco Pipe

William "Bill" Ashton-Taylor spent his working life around pipes, starting as a lathe operator with Dunhill at the age of 15 in 1959. He struck out on his own with the Ashton brand, spinning its first pipe in 1983. Bill took immense pride in the process of making Ashton pipes. He traveled to Italy twice a year to buy wood, steeped his turned bowls in a blend of oils before heating them to draw out unwanted sap, and even garnered a British patent for his unique manufacturing process that produced pipes that were much lighter than their competitors. Bill died in 2009, but the Ashton process lives on through disciple Jimmy Craig.

This Billiard from Ashton is dressed in their sandblasted Pebble Grain finish and stained darkly, with wavy ridges clinging to the lightly tapered walls of the bowl from heel to rim. The sandblast offers a very interesting touch to the hand and makes the bowl easier to grip all in one. The shank is capped with a wide, handsome silver accent before transitioning to a tapered vulcanite stem. The combination of dark stummel, fine accent, and straightforward stem show this pipe is all business, a very serious but very attractive piece that will please any fan of English pipes, and Ashton's in particular.