Old Church Billiard (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 features Ashton's sandblasted Old Church finish, which accentuates the alternating cross grain and birdseye of the bowl quite well. The stummel is very natural to the touch all around, even on the rim, and is stained a light brown that is easy on the eyes. A lengthy tapered stem of vulcanite finishes the piece, which weighs in barely over an ounce despite measuring nearly six inches in length. It's a light but still substantial work from Ashton that will easily satisfy fans of the English marque.