Clay pipes are becoming a thing of the past with Sharrow Mills factory in Sheffield ceasing production. Very popular among collectors, it is a shame to see these pipes which were once made in their thousands, down to the last few available.
Originally the everyday pipe introduced into England in the 16th century and due to their popularity they were being made in their millions in every town across England. During the 1700s it was very popular with customers to buy clay pipes with people’s faces and animals along with various other designs. As these pipes are quite fragile, if they broke they were simply discarded and a new one was purchased.
The majority of customers who purchase clay pipes are collectors, although they are designed for smoking and many people do still smoke them. They were smoked for centuries but do not compare to the briar pipes. Clay pipes are porous, which means they smoke a little cooler and absorb impurities but there is no filter, so the smoke is straight through and can be quite harsh, especially if you are use to a Briar. The beautiful thing about the clay pipes, is that if you do manage to smoke one for a while without breaking it, you will start to see the beautiful colours seeping through the pipe as the heat and the tobacco transform the colour of the pipe. It would be worth using some Philtpad filters when smoking your clay pipe, as the untreated clay on the stem of the pipe will stick to the lips with moisture so we recommend dipping in butter prior to use.
Clay pipes are very fragile and will break with minimal miss-handling. For this reason, we can’t offer a guarantee on a clay pipe, it is likely there will be faults and air bubbles in the clay formed as it is moulded, so do not expect a perfect well finished pipe. These imperfections all make up the character and appeal of the clay pipe.
Presentation: Boxed
Some of the last clay pipes to be fired at Wilsons Sheffield mill, making these now highly collectable.
"Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener (24 June 1850 – 5 June 1916), was an Irish-born British Field Marshal and proconsul who won fame for his imperial campaigns and later played a central role in the early part of the First World War, although he died halfway through it.
Kitchener won fame in 1898 for winning the Battle of Omdurman and securing control of the Sudan, after which he was given the title "Lord Kitchener of Khartoum"; as Chief of Staff (1900–02) in the Second Boer War he played a key role in Lord Roberts' conquest of the Boer Republics, then succeeded Roberts as commander-in-chief – by which time Boer forces had taken to guerrilla fighting and British forces imprisoned Boer civilians in concentration camps. His term as Commander-in-Chief (1902–09) of the Army in India saw him quarrel with another eminent proconsul, the Viceroy Lord Curzon, who eventually resigned. Kitchener then returned to Egypt as British Agent and Consul-General (de facto administrator).".
Extract from Wikipedia
If you are planning on smoking any of the Famous Faces pipes, please make sure you dip the mouth piece in butter first. If you leave the mouth piece uncoated, it will stick to your lips!
Approx. Dimensions
Length: 4.72 in / 12 cm
Bowl Height: 1.77 in / 4.5 cm
Chamber Diameter: 0.78 in / 2 cm