List of products by brand William “Ashton” Taylor
William “Ashton” Taylor worked for Dunhill for twenty-five years, producing some of the most beautiful pipes of the famous English white point brand.
The English Asthon pipes reflect the famous Dunhill pipes of the eighties in their shapes, elegance, lines and finishes.
But William “Ashton” Taylor's English pipes are famous for the treatment the briar undergoes.
William “Ashton” Taylor worked for Dunhill for twenty-five years where he began training as a pipe maker at the age of fifteen.
In 1983 he had the courage to start his own business and since then his pipes have found admirers all over the world. Billy, as his friends call him, has maintained the classic style he learned at Dunhill.
At the beginning he did not have any supply of already seasoned and well-dried briar. Therefore he had to find another solution to remove tannin from 'young' wood.
To this end, the heads of his pipes are now hardened in boiling oil which gives them an excellent yield and avoids the appearance of the bitter taste, typical of fresh briar.
Alongside numerous personalized creations, we should mention the invention of the material for the mouthpiece.
Billy has solved the well-known problem "rubber or acrylic?" producing a mixture composed of the two materials, which he called asthonite, which he proceeded to patent.
Asthonite mouthpieces are not quite as soft as rubber, which is comfortable to hold between your teeth, but they are still much more pleasant than acrylic mouthpieces which are hard.
On the other hand, they do not change color and retain their shiny black color.
In his small factory, near Oldchurch Rise in London, he produces, together with three collaborators, around 3,500 handcrafted pipes a year and creates five different series: the smooth "Sovereign", the twice sandblasted "Pebble Grain" in red and black , the rusticated “Pebble Shell”, the “Oldchurch” also sandblasted, but of a natural color and the very rare “Straight Grain”.
In addition to the numerous "Giants" (mainly intended for the American market) and classic examples.
Since 1998, Billy has also been producing some freer forms which he defines as "romantic and idyllic". To be able to truly enjoy smoking, he recommends not considering the pipe as something particular but as a part of oneself.
The philosophy of Ashton English pipes can be summed up in one phrase: "Do not consider the pipe as something particular but rather as a part of yourself."
Ashton English pipes are for expert smokers who want to upgrade their way of smoking by entering a different dimension of conscious pipe smoking.
Discover all the best Ashton pipes from the Pebble Grain, Clarinet, Brindle XXX series...
