The Ashton Pipe Story

by R.C. Hamlin

Written and revised 1988, 1990, 1994

This article was last updated over 12 years ago, it is as any period piece, somewhat dated. Since the time of its last update many changes have occured with Ashton Pipes. Although some things have changed in the last 12 years, such as grades, shapes, new finishes, limited editions, and the like, I feel that this story acts as a window in time to the Ashton Story when it was written, so it is reprinted as is. Sometime in the next few months or years, I'll sit down and revise this guide to include the last 12 years, just not today.

I wrote the original copy of the Ashton Story in November 1988, revised it in January 1990, and have added a few "1994 updates" to the end of this issue. I hope that you enjoy learning why Ashton pipes are considered by many as the best England has to offer pipe smokers.

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The Ashton pipe is fairly well known in today's pipe smoking circles. Ashton pipes, in fact, do sell very well in all of the markets that they are in and are always in short supply. What perhaps is not so well known is that this is a very new brandname that has only been in existence since 1983. In these first years of production the Ashton pipe has progressed from an idea, to production, to possibly the most sought after and best crafted English high grade on the market. The brand is now distributed not only in the United States but in England, Italy and Germany with the United States and Germany being Ashton's best markets. How could a new brand, especially an English brand considering the recent fortune of some of the other English makers, make it to the top of its industry in such a short while? Basically by creating a better "mousetrap" that delivers as it promises. While the brandname may be new there is a wealth of experience behind the brand. This experience along with a burning desire to make the finest pipes on today's market have created the richly deserved success of Ashton Pipes - one that will continue to evolve in the years to come. This is the story of their creator - Mr. William John Ashton Taylor, their catalyst and marketer - Mr. R. David Field and perhaps their most important attribute, you their smoker.

Alfred Dunhill and his innovative ideas concerning the production of briar pipes is perhaps the single most important event in modern pipe smoking history. Perhaps if Alfred Dunhill had not gone into the Tobacconist profession in 1910 and into the production of pipes in 1913, someone else would have modernized the curing of briar. However, no other person or company had, at least until then, really thought about how to make a briar pipe taste good, nor had anyone outside of St. Claude (France) truly set out to actually produce high grade briar pipes. Alfred Dunhill pioneered this idea and for many years continued to purchase his bowls from France. Where Dunhill differed was that after he received these bowls he cured the wood so that they were no longer "just" French bowls, but cured bowls to which he added his brandname and his finishing.

The Dunhill story is much longer and full of new principles as far as how to produce a quality briar smoking pipe, but this is not a story about Dunhill. This story is about a modern day pioneer that was in fact introduced to the Dunhill manufacturing process and the idea behind it, as an employee of Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. of London for almost three decades. The result is the Ashton pipe as we see it today, full of innovations, made to be the best handmade smoking pipe possible and continuing to mature toward something even better. There are many parallels that can be made between Alfred Dunhill and William John Ashton Taylor as their ideas and ambition are similar. While perhaps Alfred Dunhill was more of the merchant and Mr. Taylor is more of the craftsman, both are very important in the evolution of pipes and this article will point this out occasionally.

William John Ashton Taylor was born in 1945 into a world of virtual chaos in Britain, one that had suffered the full force of World War II not only in damage to its economy and population, but from years of bombing raids to London and the surrounding area. The post war era was not an easy one and this is exactly the time and environment in which William Taylor (Bill) was raised. In 1959, at the age of 14 and while still pursuing his education, Bill applied for and was granted an apprenticeship with Alfred Dunhill of London. England was still rebuilding from the war in Europe and I don't know how hard employment was to come by in that post war time, but a job at the Dunhill Pipe Factory offered employment and training in a skilled trade. The first year of training (during his apprenticeship) was spent hand crafting cigarette holders. The next 17 years were spent making briar pipes, with the last 9 of this 17 acting as the foreman or supervisor. This "production" time was followed by 7 years of management responsibilities involving quality control of pipes and tobacco, product development duties while maintaining the title of "Quality Control Manager".

Bill used his skill in pipemaking to give demonstrations in the Duke Street Dunhill store (plus most of the other Dunhill sales locations in London such as Harrods, etc.). In 1984, after 25+ years learning and practicing his "skilled trade", William John Ashton Taylor left the security of Alfred Dunhill to pursue his life long dream of owning and operating his own company. The Ashton pipe was an exciting entry onto the United States market in 1983. With Bill Taylor's experience in quality ontrol, development of pipes and tobacco and in not only his learned pipe making skills, but the secrets that were taught to him by those that he apprenticed under, the Ashton pipe would have to succeed. Things are never as simple as they seem and without the intervention, encouragement and financial backing of Mr. R. David Field, Bill Taylor would not have left Dunhill in 1984 and the Ashton pipe as we know it today would not exist.

David Field was an American Dunhill collector and student of pipe making, pipe usage, tobacco and their history. In the early 1980's David made several trips to England and Italy in search of knowledge and artisan pipemakers to share in their knowledge, as well as learn as much as possible about pipes and tobacco firsthand. In England David spent considerable time searching out information on Dunhill pipes and spent time visiting the Dunhill Archives, along with several tours of the Dunhill pipe making operation. During one of David's London visits, he attended a pipemaking demonstration hosted by Bill Taylor and saw firsthand the precision and skill that this "Quality Control Manager" processed. David purchased every Taylor Made pipe (as they were called) that he could get his hands on and became consumed with not only the product, but with its producer and his skill.

After David returned to Philadelphia and with a small assortment of freshly produced "Taylor Made" pipes, the idea of marketing this line in the United states grew to the point that David knew that he had to act on the idea. To import and market a complete new line of pipes, especially an English brand to compete with Dunhill and Charatan, was not an easy quest. The quality of these Taylor Made pipes was special though and would succeed if properly introduced to the American smoker along with carefully planning of quality control and production. Up until now David had purchased a few handmade pipes on his travels to Italy and England, these he sold to friends and collectors to help defray the cost of his trip(s). The marketing of Taylor Made pipes was not just a few pieces to a few friends, but the idea just would not leave him alone.

David decided to contact this craftsman that we had witnessed in London and while he knew his name to be William Taylor, he didn't have an address or phone number. A letter was written to William Taylor, care of Dunhill of London and marked PERSONAL. This was mailed and did get to Bill, but only after it was inadvertently read by Bill's supervisor at Dunhill. The letter was brief and basically said "Mr. Taylor, I would like to sell the pipes you are making in America - Please contact me as soon as possible at (address & phone number)." David's letter almost got Bill Taylor fired from Dunhill and necessitated a personal conference between Bill and his administrator in which Bill had to explain his involvement with someone that he did not know and in a letter that he had not seen. During this conference Bill read the letter, noted the phone number on it assured his supervisor that he was not interested in the offer. Later that same day Bill Taylor placed a call to Philadelphia; Ashton pipes were soon to become a reality.

Bill Taylor had actually started, in 1980, a small "one man" repair business under the name of Briarwoods of London. This repair business specialized in the repair of Antique Meerschaum pipes for the quality pipe stores of London and expanded into briar pipe repairs soon thereafter. Bill's repair business was done more as a hobby than as a means of income, but being that there was already a business set up and in place, the creation of Ashton Pipes was made a little easier.

In 1984 Bill Taylor left the security of Dunhill and set out to create the Ashton Pipe that would be introduced in the United States by David Field. This was not an easy thing for Bill to do since he had a wife and two small children to support. Bill's position at Dunhill not only held security, but there was already a career and certainly a future guaranteed. Possibly the deciding factor for Bill was that David offered to advance a full year's pay as start up money. With this assurance, Bill Taylor resigned his position at Alfred Dunhill and the Ashton pipe was born. The driving force behind the production of Ashton pipes was that Bill could take the knowledge that he had obtained during his 25+ years at Dunhill and improve the process to produce even a better smoking line of pipes. David would take care of distribution in the United States and would take every pipe that Bill produced. Each Ashton pipe was to be hand turned and not machine fraised as Dunhill pipes were and each would be oil cured with a new and improved process that went beyond that of Dunhill's system.

The early years of 1984 and 1985 were not without their problems and as most companies find out, turning ideas into reality is not as simple as it may seem. The first problem was to turn a small repair shop into a fully operational pipe making facility. Equipment had to be purchased, a continual supply of high quality briar had to be found, stem material had to be stocked and if these start up problems were not enough, production had to get under way as soon as possible. The balance of 1984 (after Bill had left Dunhill) saw very few Ashton pipes actually being produced and those that were tended to be on the smaller side. In 1985 the new Ashton factory" became fully functional and saw Bill's ideas of making the finest English briar pipe on today's market become a reality. This too, created unforseen problems for this new operation. The curing process had to be perfected which required experimentation with the blend of oils used to "oil cure", the time frame for processing the briar and with the temperature in which the briar would cure properly, but not harm the wood.

All of these experiments took place during the actual production of Ashton pipe manufacturer and of all of the pieces that have been returned as poor smokers, most are from the 1985 era. The final "perfect" time frame for curing - ended up as 14 days on the heat plugs. Before I go on with this history I want to take a few lines to explain - the oil curing method and why the Ashton pipe, by using this method, is unique.

The Ashton pipe is Oil Cured using Alfred Dunhill's original concept of forcing oil through the briar with heat. This process cleans the wood of sap residue and makes the break in process easier. The Ashton oil cure takes this concept a step further and uses a "blend" of three different oils, all with various properties. The pipes are soaked in a oil bath until the wood has absorbed as much as possible (of the oil blend). The briar is then placed on copper Heat Plugs for 14 days with the emperature raised and lowered thus forcing the oil through the wood. The end result is a clean piece of briar with all of the extra sap, and its bitterness, removed. In its place there is a slight internal coating of the oils which "flavor" the briar with a nutty or wood taste.

The problems with using this timely and expensive process is that many of the bowls crack and those that do stand up to the treatment typically have sand marks pushed to the surface with the flow of the oil under heat. As a result there are very few smooth Ashton pipes produced with straight grains being extremely rare in smooth. If the curing process goes on too long or at too high a temperature, the fibers of the wood break down and "over cook" which causes a burned tasted along with a very high percentage of cracked bowls. An equal but opposite problem is created by curing at too low a temperature or for too short a period of time. In this case the wood is left heavy with oils which causes a wet smoke without the nutty flavor, plus the bowls tend to run heavy for their size. Much of early 1985 was spent perfecting this process which is now as efficient as possible, although the problem of producing a higher percentage of smooth Ashton cured bowls has not been resolved.

In 1986 the Ashton "pipeworks" was up and running at full steam with hungry American smokers lusting for additional supplies of this new brand. During this period, close to 100% of Bill's pipes were still coming to the United States (1 shop in London had a few Ashton pipes). The reputation of the line was growing and additional markets were looked into including Italy and Germany. These would start to see a few pieces in late 1985 (early 1986) and would continue to grow in demand through present day, although the United States still enjoys the greater part of Bill Taylor's production.

Currently over 40% of the Ashton pipes produced in 1988 will go to the United States, 30% to Germany, 20% are sold in the U.K. and 10% are offered to Italy. All of these markets have developed within the last several years and all have the same complaint -"Send more pipes". 1986 could probably be marked as the year that Bill turned the corner and became a major player in modern English pipe production.

A new (and expensive) sandblasting machine was purchased and Ashton Pipes sponsored the first Ashton Pipe festival in London for the American pipe dealers attending the Dunhill PPD event in London. There has always been a shortage of these high quality pipes and in 1986, on the night before the Ashton show in London, the whole "crew" worked into the early morning hours finishing pieces to display for dealers the next morning. A large display of several hundred pieces were offered the festival attenders, many were unique designs created for the show.

During 1985 when Bill was experimenting with curing and getting his new business off the ground, he took time to experiment with a new process of finishing briar. This process was reserved for special blocks of briar that held such tight and dense grain that they would produce heavy pipes. It was the density of these blocks that caused the problem of weight though and not the age. Once these special blocks of briar had been cured they were still too heavy to please most users. With "standard" grade briar this extra weight could be blasted away with slightly increased blasting pressure. With extra dense briar, if the pressure of the sandblaster was turned up to blast away extra wood, the dense grain was blasted away also. The wood had to be saved as it was some of the very best as far as its smoking attributes and so Mr. William John Ashton Taylor set out to correct this problem and in the process once again followed the foot steps of Alfred Dunhill in his innovative thinking. Bill's solution was special, so much so that he filed for an English Patent for his new process on June 21, 1985 and this patent was approved and granted July 6, 1988.

This new process of finishing a smoking pipe bowl was the first "pipe manufacturing" inventions granted an English patent in over 20 years. As with most patented ideas, Bill's process while functional, is not that difficult. Basically the bowls are cured like any other Ashton pipe bowl by soaking them in oil, cured with heat over time and then subjecting the outer surface to a high pressure jet of steam that raises and swells the softer grain on the bowl. This softer grain is "rusticated" or carved away (but not the hard dense grain) before the pipe is sandblasted. Between the carving and sandblasting these "Pebble Shell" pipes lose 20 to 25% of their weight and yet they keep 100% of their beneficial grain.

There were less than 24 "Shells" produced in 1985 and 1986; these were marked Pat. Pend. 1987 saw few if any Ashton Shells. In early 1988 there were less than 10 produced that not only included the newly issued patent number but an extra single digit (1,2,3 etc.) that denoted that these were the very first "patented" Ashton Pebble Shell pipes produced. Number 3 from this first group is in my personal collection of pipes. At this point you may start to understand why I consider Bill Taylor to be someone very special as far as a pipemaker and his products.

Bill's current "factory" has just relocated to a new unit (as he calls it), which is still only 1200 SF in size. This new unit will allow the Ashton pipe to be made in a more uniform way with every bit of the operation carried out in pre-assigned areas. Currently Ashton produces his pipes in 3 basic finishes, although several variations of these are in the works. The Pebble Grain is a sandblasted finish that is usually stained black with deep red highlights, although some are brown stained. The Brindle finish is a dark brown stained sandblast that is matched with a brown colored vulcanite mouthpiece. The patented Pebble Shell and Brindle Shell are sandblasted and carved finishes similar in color to other sandblasted models. All 1988 and later "Shell's" will include the patented number 2176742 within their nomenclature.

Smooth finished Ashton pipes are graded as either Sovereign or SG (1 to 5) for graded straight grains. Smooth Ashton pipes are golden colored with waxed bowls and can have either black or brown vulcanite mouthpieces. The nomenclature on Ashton pipes will include the series (Sovereign, Pebble Shell, etc) a "size" (explained a little later in this section), a year date (4=1984, 5=1985, 6=1986, etc.) the brandname (Ashton) and the point of origin (England). The Ashton logo is a "Dunhill Spot" which is actually an inlaid briar dot on the top of the handcut mouthpiece.

One area that stands out with Ashton pipes is how Bill has taken the basic idea of a "rod stock" mouthpiece a little farther than Dunhill. Rod stock means that the mouthpiece is formed from a solid rod of hard rubber (vulcanite) rather than preformed or molded blanks (cast stock). These rods are about four feet in length before they are cut for stems and are about one inch wide. The rod is cut into 3 or 4 inch lengths and then cured by boiling. This process removes the sulfur from the surface of the hard rubber stem material which in turn makes a harder mouthpiece that resists discoloration. Mouthpieces are formed using drills and files, each custom fit to match the bowl in both size and shape.

Like Dunhill, Ashton grades his pipes by their size and in the case of the SG straight grains, by grain. Both smooth and sandblasted models are available in 1X (Dunhill group 3 or 4), 2X (group 4 or 5), 3X (group 5 or 6) and LX (group 6 or ODA size). By theory the other sizes produced by Bill Taylor come in both smooth and sandblasted but in actuality, these are only available in non-smooth pieces. The ELX is an extra large size, usually reserved for standard shaped pipes. The "Magnum" and its variations are extra, extra large classic shaped pipes that while limited in production to less than 20 pieces per year, are very special and unique to the Ashton line.

While Magnums are expensive, they offer an outstanding smoking experience as the amount of cured briar included with each piece is extensive. Ashton first produced Magnums in a series of "Presentation Pipes" housed in custom fitted wood cases. These presentation "Magnums" were not stamped magnum. The true graded Magnum series followed with Magnum "S" (smaller, but still extra large) and standard Magnums. There have also been several "Double Magnums" produced which are extremely large examples, although there is no additional nomenclature that denotes their extra size.

One of the major problems in producing quality pipes, expecially those that are as carefully produced as the Ashton line, is in the availability of highly skilled craftsmen to create the line. When Bill went out on his own in 1984 he was depending on his skill and experience to produce the pipes that carry his trademark. However, the demand of his line quickly exceeded any capacity that he alone could produce and additional craftsmen were needed to increase production. Currently the Ashton pipe is produced by the joint effort of Jeffrey Mills (stems), Mrs. Y. Mills (finishing), Frank Lincoln (total pipe maker - all facets), Sid Cooper (bowl turning, with 50+ years experience) and of course Bill Taylor, who is a total pipe maker with over 28 years experience. [See note at end revising current Ashton employees.]

Within this family, each has a primary skill, however all are able to work all of the phases and as a rule, each will work on each Ashton pipe. What this means is that the creation of an Ashton pipe is not just the work of one skilled craftsman, but a joint effort of all. This joint effort allows each craftsman to take pride in the finished product with each knowing that his skill is a part of the final results. What about the future of Ashton pipes? In the first years of production Bill Taylor has advanced the "Dunhill" process of producing a pipe, using his modifications of oil curing, stem curing, hand turning bowls, hand making pipe stems, creating a new and patented finishing process and added pipe tobacco and cigars to his family of products. Is this all, or are there other ideas in the wings?

New products are coming including a new "Tan Shell" light colored sandblasted finish which will be called OLD CHURCH (hopefully sometime in early 1989). The Ashton Cigar line is being expanded and tobacco line is being expanded to 10 different blends. Smoking cabinets, pouches, special presentation sets and an increased supply of patented Pebble Shell pipes should be arriving within the near future and after that, who knows?

When asked about his personal and company philosophy William John Ashton Taylor responded by saying "To maintain the highest quality standards and to be one of the very few true pipe makers. Meaning that I start by selecting the briar from the sawmill, age the briar, select the best block for a shape, cut and turn the bowl, cure the turned shape, handcraft a mouthpiece to a perfect balance, stain and finish the pipe and create as near as perfect pipe as I can with all of my heart." It is also the intention of this new company to expand into new areas with the same dedication to quality that they have shown in their short history.

William Taylor's story is just starting to be told as his "life's dream" of owning his own company has come about, and yet is only a few years old. Today's Ashton pipe is as fine a product as can be produced in terms of materials and construction. The end result is a handmade smoking pipe that while unique in their individuality, are made to be tasted and enjoyed. The Ashton company is one in which production in numbers will always be second to production of quality. One in which the craftsmen behind the final product take pride in their work, along with how you judge their efforts. While it is true that Bill Taylor was trained by Dunhill and learned his trade from the company that started high grade pipe manufacturer, he has continued to advance these principles of pipe making to a new level of excellence. From a 15 year old apprentice turning cigarette holders in 1959 to England's most sought after pipe manufacturer in 1989.

The Ashton success story may be a dream come true for Bill Taylor, but it is also a pipe smokers success story. Your acceptance and smoking enjoyment of the Ashton pipe is the true meaning of success to William John Ashton Taylor and to this end he has dedicated his company's efforts. In today's market philosophy, this too is a rare and innovative idea.

END of Original ASHTON Story

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Update to the Ashton Story from 1990-94

The new Ashton Old Church Tan Shell finish went into full production in 1989 with less than 50 pieces produced during the first year. Old Church, by the way is the name of the Street that where the Ashton Unit is located. The Old church finish is a non-stained natural tan color that is moderately dark for a natural finish. This darkening is caused by the oil curing process that "cooks" the wood. There is no additional staining or finish added to the Old Church, although a slight wax finish is added to polish the bowls. Almost all Old Church Ashtons are found with the dark brown stems (a few have black bits). This new finish was produced in both the standard sandblasted finish and patented "Shell" process which included the patent number. Of the Old Church pipes produced in this first year most were 2X and 3X in size. A few 1X and LX were offered, but no ELX were made. There has been only 1 Old Church Magnum produced. This was a medium large Billiard with a black saddle bit and nomenclature that read "USA 001" and is in my personal Collection along with a signed pen & ink of the pipe.

The number of workers in the Ashton factory was decreased in 1989 with the departure of Mr. and Mrs. Mills. Although it was not mentioned in the main article, Mrs. Taylor also works in the production of Ashton pipes as both as Ashton pipe finisher (stain & wax) and the company office manager. As of 1993, Bill's son (Spence) has become a full time employee of Ashton pipes. In 1989 Ashton Products introduced a new line of small cigars, an expanded line of hand made Dominican cigars, a series of luxury leather cigar cases and 6 new Ashton tobaccos. As of 1994 Ashton large Cigars are very successful in the United States and England.

For 1990 there were continued expansions into quality leather goods, more Old Church pipes and special silver trimmed Ashton pipes (rim, spigots and maybe a windcap model). Starting in 1990 non-smooth Ashton pipes will be marked "Shell" rather than Pebble Shell or Pebble Grain. As of 1994, this has not completely taken place, however the plan is still to produce on "Shell" and smooth Ashtons. In addition the patent number will be used on the pipes that are carved and blasted, even though all will be marked "Shell". Over the last several years many pieces were mis-marked Pebble Shell or Pebble Grain. The marking of only "Shell" to all non-smooth Ashtons will correct this problem.

If you have collected Ashton pipes or have seen quite a few of the new patented pieces, you may have noted that there have been three different patent numbers used over the last several years. While there was only one patent actually granted Ashton, there is a reason for the different patent numbers. When the patent was first applied for the pipes were stamped Pat. Pend. without a number. After the patent was granted the first patent number was stamped on Ashton pipes. This first patent was granted in the name of William John Taylor (no Ashton), and so a correction was requested for the proper and complete name. The re-issued "corrected" patent contained a new patent number which was then used on the pipes. In 1989 the final "approved after response period" patent papers were issued which contained a new final number that is currently used on Ashton pipes. Starting in 1994, Ashton straight grains are no longer marked SG-1 or SG-2, but are now marked SG plus A, B, C, D, E for the grade of grain. As of late 1994, the Ashton tobacco line is being redesigned to include 4 of the original 10 mixtures, plus 6 or 8 new blends that should arrive in stores in late 1994 or early 1995. The new Ashton tobacco line (all blends) will be produced by McClelland Tobacco Company.

Another Collector Fact is that the first Ashton pipes were actually produced in late 1983 with most of these using block nomenclature rather than the script stampings of 1984 to present. There are other variations to the nomenclature on Ashton pipes that have occurred over the years. These variations will add value to the line to the variety collector of Ashton pipes. The Ashton pipe is a new brand that was started just a few years ago and yet have already produced a wide variety of products for both the collector and smoker. It is rare in today's market to see a company go back to basics and offer a line that puts the product before the profit; Ashton does! There is a bright future for this brand as they offer something for everyone.