Vintage Briar Tobacco Pipes, Tobacciana & Collectibles. They honestly don’t come any more supreme than this BRAND NEW and Beautifully HAND-CRAFTED Vintage, un-smoked and NEW, FERNDOWN BARK Briar Pipe by Internationally Celebrated Master Carver and Artisan Supremo LES WOOD. It’s an extremely attractive Tobacco Smoking Pipe in a CLASSIC BULLDOG SHAPE. It exhibits both a moderate Hand-Rusticated and Smooth Finish with a spectacular and always welcome, colour and grain matched CUMBERLAND STEM. The colour tones of the rustication are a deep and rich walnut that run to a deep and dark burgundy. The rim of the pipe and the right hand underside of the shank is finished in a smooth gloss sheen. The CUMBERLAND STEM, as they always do, looks particularly superb, especially with it’s deep high gloss finish against and with the rich, deep tones and rustic look of the bowl and shank. This is a handsome and prestigious exemplar of notable design, build, quality, and time honoured attention to tradition and fine detail. Les Wood’s Hand Made “Ferndown Bark” series registers at the very highest end of quality in his tobacco pipe line-up. The same could be said for his pipes in ANY tobacco pipe line-up. Ferndown Bark pipes are also OIL-CURED in the tradition of both Dunhill and Ashton Pipes, but to Les’ own secret formula whereupon it is said that once you’ve experienced the smoking pleasures of a Ferndown Bark Pipe, nothing less will ever do from thereon – you smoke one for life! If you are interested in this listing it will be because you already know of the enormous talent that Les Wood applies to all his HAND CARVED pipes, so I won’t dwell too much on the internationally celebrated attributes of one of the finest pipe-carvers the world has known. But, there is some extra info at the bottom of this listing for those who wish to read a bit more. Suffice to say though, that to fully appreciate all the Artisan Quality attributes of this fine pipe, you do need to hold it in your hand, feel it, gaze upon it, and then pack it and light it. After that, you are heavenly lost. Such is the attraction and appeal of any Les Wood pipe, especially one you’ve’lit up’. It’s such a lovely piece to behold. I think the pics are reasonably good and show the pipe pretty accurately and at its best. Just in case though, I do need to mention that there are a couple of slight, almost microscopic scratches on the rim of the pipe that may not be so clear in the pics, even though we’ve really sharpened up the pic of the rim in an attempt to show them clearly and just how very minor they are. Honestly, this is an awesome, HAND-MADE, RARE, ONE OF A KIND. It’s just awesome. One of the things you can’t see very well is the precision fitting (not easy with a diamond shaped shank), of the mouthpiece to shank. It’s extraordinarily precise and exact. Inscription in gold on the left hand side of the stem looks stunning against the backdrop of the Cumberland Stem. Yes, I’d agree. Relatively so, but that old saying,’You get what you pay for’ kicks in with any pipe made by Les Wood, and they’re worth every single penny and then some. This Ferndown Bark is a highly Collectible Pipe that reflects the enormous talent of a man who has made nothing but High-End, valuable, and excruciatingly exact and adorable looking tobacco pipes, his whole lifetime. There is no such thing as’seconds’, or alternative branding for under-performing pipes in the Les Wood line-up. Bowls that are not up to scratch are simply discarded. This is one of Les’ finest exemplars. It has been impeccably crafted, is of Artisan Quality, and is MINT and PRISTINE. Okay folks, as succinctly as possible, but not always successfully, that’s about covered the description basics. Dimensions and stamping’s follow, but if you’d like to know a bit more, or some history perhaps, please refer to the Additional Information or Snapshot further down in this listing. Macro photography and very sharp camera settings combined with enlarged images has a downside. Very tiny marks, or flaws, are way over-exaggerated and in most cases are not, or are just barely visible to the naked eye. Even a small speck of dust looks ominous. We crop our pics as large as we can to give you the best possible view of our items. But please be aware of the downside. It’s important to keep things in perspective with this sort of photography. Our pics also form an integral part of our item description. All Measurements, Weights and Conversions are Approximate. Shank left side – Three stars (then) HAND MADE IN (over) ENGLAND (over) Les Wood. Shank right side. Mouthpiece – Left hand side of stem L. This pipe is supplied with it’s original soft brown suede drawstring type pipe bag. LES WOOD “FERNDOWN BARK” SNAPSHOT. (For those who like a bit more information or history). Ferndown Pipes are prestigious high-end pipes made by world renowned pipe-crafter Les Wood, formerly of Dunhill fame. Les Wood, the second of two major carvers to leave Dunhill to start their own brand labels (the first being William John “ASHTON” Taylor), had perfected his craft there, but was even more celebrated for his silversmith work, this being the initial reason for which he was hired at Dunhill. Les Wood silversmithing is used by such brands as Ashton, Comoy’s, Bentley and others, still today. But when Pipe-sters get talking about tobacco pipes and when we get onto the subject of Les Woods and what makes his Ferndown pipes so unique, celebrated and collected is, aside from his enormous talent, the way in which his briar is treated. The very high grade and enormously expensive Grecian briar used exclusively by Les, is oil cured in a similar fashion to the Dunhill, Comoy’s and Ashton models to which he has so many ties. But Les Wood uses a different proprietary treatment with his specially selected briar. The method used is a closely guarded secret, in which it is suggested, that only Les and one trusted friend has intimate knowledge of. Les Wood pipes are celebrated and renowned for their pleasant, slightly nutty flavor and remarkable smoking characteristics. They feature impeccable craftsmanship and precise attention to detail, extending to extremely precise stem/bit work. Most LW pipes are often quite a bit heavier than what is normally the case with most others. A Les Wood carved pipe is a pipe for life. Wood pipes in Germany. We cannot ascertain how many of these pipes pass the rigors of quality to be recognised as high grades and then stamped Ferndown Bark. It is suggested, very few. Leslie “Les” John Wood had worked for Dunhill for 25 years, where he was both a prominent carver and also the Master- Silversmith, before founding his own brand L. Briars together with his wife Dolly in 1978. Les Wood was the second ex-Dunhill artisan to become self-employed after William John Taylor of “Ashton” fame. To many pipe dabsters Les Wood’s pipes embody the revival of great English pipe-making initiated by Ashton in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The high grade Moroccan and Greek Plateau Briar he prefers is oil-cured in the tradition of both Dunhill and Ashton, but to his own secret formula. His pipes are renowned for their pleasant, slightly nutty flavour and remarkable smoking characteristics. It is said that once you have smoked a Les Wood Pipe, especially a “Ferndown Bark” you then smoke one for life! The hallmark of his work is the excellent silver work he sometimes includes with his pipes. Les Wood’s metal work is frequently in demand with other brands like Ashton or Comoy´s and most recently with Bentley for the John Aylesbury POY 2008. Beyond a grading system known only to himself the only thing we’re aware of is his use of one to three stars to indicate the size of his pipes. Straight Grains are also designated with SG. Dating most LW Pipes is just as difficult as grading them, unless of course it has the “Ferndown Bark” stamping. Fortunately this TRADITIONAL, CLASSIC and full blooded blast finished short Bulldog hasn’t been too hard. It has the proprietary LJS inscribed in the beautiful Cumberland Colour and Grain Matched stem, used by Les on his earlier pipes. This pipe emanates from the 1980’s, perhaps the early 1980’s. Mostly free within Australia. Please understand we have no control over duration. We will not falsify parcel contents and values. Yes, we most certainly are, and being buyers ourselves we understand your concerns. Please know that o. Ur small base of operations is located right here in Beautiful Brisbane, Australia, where we’ve had the same business address and contact details for the past 43 years. How soon do I need to pay for my item? Can I wait and pay when I’m finished? Message us just to let us know and likewise please message us when you’re finished and we’ll send you an invoice. I’m an International Customer. With respect, we ask that you don’t ask us to break the law by falsifying parcel contents and/or value. Sure, if you come to one of our other venues direct, thats fine. We’ll warmly welcome you. With all courtesy and respect, we all know the rules here. It’s just becoming too much. Please do the right thing. Have all Club Esquire pipes been sanitised? Yes, they certainly have. All pipes are cleaned and sanitised, even new ones. We also apply two coats of lovely, nourishing pure beeswax a few hours before dispatch. Please rest assured your pipe will be totally clean and picture perfect when you receive it. What do I do, or who do I contact, if I run into some sort of unforeseen issue? We’re no further away than your keyboard. Please contact me (Melina) personally. I’m here to assist – any concerns. I’ll Make Them Go Away – Promise! We do honestly appreciate it. If this is not what you’re looking for perhaps you’ll find it in our OTHER ITEMS. We’ll always assist – customer or not. A Big Thanks too, to our wonderful customers who supported us at the very beginning. We’ve noticed and will be forever grateful. Melina, Giorgio, Barry – The CE Team. The item “Hand Crafted & Oil Cured FERNDOWN BARK Briar Smoking Pipe by talented LES WOOD” is in sale since Saturday, September 15, 2018. This item is in the category “Collectables\Tobacciana\Pipes”. The seller is “clubesquire” and is located in Brisbane. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Les Wood Ferndown Bark Briar Wood Pipe: Hand Rusticated Briar Wood
- Product Type: Pipes
- Body Shape: Bulldog
- Featured Refinements: Tobacco Pipe
- Modified Item: No
- Brand: Ferndown Bark
- Era: 1980s
- Country: England
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