Dunhill

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Alfred Dunhill Pipes This is a work in progress. Please feel free to contribute if you are a Dunhill expert or knowledgeable enthusiast.

Dunhill Shell Briar - Cavalier (1956) ©Forcióri
Dunhill Shell Briar - Canadian (1996) ©Forcióri
Dunhill Opera (1964) ©Forcióri
Dunhill Bruyere - Shape 60 (1925) ©Forcióri
Dunhill - Meerschaum-lined ©Forcióri


Introduction


Le Calumet de la Paix

Quand on fume la pipe chaque jour, que peut-on dire de mieux, sinon qu’il s’agit, par son essence même, d'un Calumet de la Paix ? Cette idée nous la trouvons ancrée profondément dans le folklore des gens simples, dont un bon exemple est l'histoire tirée par Mr Torday, l'éminent anthropologue, de la bouche de Bilumbu, un vieux sauvage Bushongo, d'un village reculé du Congo, Misumba, et citée dans le "Pipe Book" d'Alfed Dunhill.

The Pipe of Peace - About Smoke

Selon l'histoire, un jeune et aventureux Bushongo du nom de Lusana Lumunbala était parti voyager loin dans le Monde et sa tribu n'avait plus de ses nouvelles depuis bon nombre d’années. Il réapparut soudainement et après de nombreuses réjouissances on lui demanda quelles richesses il avait découvert.

Le voyageur chercha dans sa sacoche et en tira quelques feuilles de tabac desséchées et un petit paquet de semences.

"Hommes de Bushongo" dit-il solennellement, " remerciez moi du fond du cœur de vous avoir rapporté ceci."

Export Edition - 1926 (By Guy Lesser).

Les anciens se passèrent les feuilles de main en main et secouèrent la tête; l'un d'eux dit sévèrement:

"Crois- tu donc, Lusana Lumunbala, que l'heure est à la plaisanterie? En quoi cette mauvaise herbe est elle bonne pour nous?

"Je crains", dit un autre en se moquant," que cet homme n'ait rien gagné du tout dans ses voyages dont il se vante tant, et que les épreuves qu'il a subi lui aient fait perdre quelque chose." Et il se frappa la tête de façon significative.

Dunhill A, US20 - Beehive ©Forcióri

Lusana Lumunbala sourit. "Je n'ai pas perdu l'esprit, O sages de Misumba, car cette herbe dont je vous ai rapporté quelques feuilles est vraiment très précieuse."

“"Est-ce bon à manger?"
"Non, ça ne l'est pas."
"Est-ce un remède à une maladie quelconque?"
"Il les guérit toutes. Sa fumée, quand on l'inhale, est à l'âme tourmentée comme la caresse d'une mère à un enfant malade."

Et disant cela, il sortit une pipe de son sac, la bourra d'un peu de tabac, l'alluma avec quelques braises et commença à fumer, et en le faisant, son visage s'illumina de plaisir.

Les anciens parlèrent tous à la fois : "Notre frère est certainement devenu fou; il respire du feu et boit de la fumée".

Mais l'un d'entre eux, plus courageux que les autres, lui demanda de le laisser essayer cette herbe extraordinaire, et prenant la pipe inhala une grande bouffée de fumée. Il fut pris d'une violente quinte de toux et tomba à terre en haletant. Quand il fut remis il injuria le voyageur, et le menaça du poing.

"Tu es…" le réprimanda Lusana Lumunbala, "…comme un enfant qui s'étrangle à la première bouchée de nourriture solide que sa mère lui donne, et toutefois, à mesure qu'il s'habitue, devient un bon compagnon de table. Tu étais trop gourmand. On remplit le panier petit à petit comme le dit le proverbe. Tu aurais dû essayer juste un peu. Si tu l'avais fait tu aurais aussitôt pu apprécier l'effet magique de la fumée comme je l'ai fait. En ce qui concerne cette herbe, qu'on appelle Makaya (tabac), c'est le plus grand plaisir de l'homme. J'en ai appris l'usage dans le pays de Pende, dont les habitants, les Tupende, l'avaient appris d'un peuple étrange qui venait de l'autre côté des eaux salées. O Makaya, Makaya, quelles merveilles tu accomplis!". Et Lusana Lumunbala ferma les yeux d'extase. « Comme le feu adoucit l'acier, Makaya adoucit le cœur.Si un jour ton frère t'a offensé, et que la colère te fait monter le sang à la tête, et que tu vas chercher ton arc et tes flèches pour le tuer, prends ta pipe et fume. Ta colère s'envolera avant que son parfum disparaisse.» Tu te diras "sûrement je ne dois pas tuer le fils de ma mère, lui qui est de mon propre sang. Je vais le battre avec un gros bâton pour lui donner une leçon. Mais comme tu te lèves pour prendre ta massue, prends ta pipe et et avale sa fumée. A mi-chemin tu t'arrêteras, tu souriras et diras 'Non, je ne peux pas battre mon frère, le compagnon de ma jeunesse. Ce serait mieux que je puisse le réprimander – que je le fustige avec des mots durs plutôt que de le frapper d'un bâton. Et au moment où tu vas le faire, fume, fume ! Et avec chaque bouffée ton cœur deviendra plus charitable et incliné au pardon, et en t'avançant vers le coupable tremblant, tu te jetteras à son cou et tu diras : Mon frère, mon frère, le passé est le passé.Viens dans ma hutte, et buvons et mangeons ensemble, et réjouissons nous, et aimons nous l'un l'autre."

« Et chacun d’entre vous sait », conclut Bilumbu, « que Lusana Lumunbala a dit la vérité ; chaque fois que votre cœur se remplit de colère ou de tristesse, buvez la fumée de Makaya et la paix et la joie règneront à nouveau en vous. About Smoke, An Encyclopaedia of Smoking (pp. 2-3). London, Messrs. A. & C. Black, Ltd.</ref>

::


Aspas-copy.pngElle doit être pratique. Elle doit être fiable. Elle doit durer. Elle doit être la meilleure de sa sorte.Aspas.png Alfred Dunhill[1]
Aspas-copy.pngAcheter une Dunhill c'est un peu comme devenir membre d'un club, où l'on échange de subtils signaux de reconnaissance.Aspas.png Richard Dunhill[2].


En dépit des diverses opinions à propos de qui fait, ou qui a fait, les meilleures pipes, bien peu refuseront de reconnaître que Dunhill est la marque de pipe la plus reconnue, ou que son fondateur, Alfred Dunhill, ait été un génie du marketing. Dans la préface de la seconde réédition du livre de Dunhill AboutSmoke, An Encyclopedia of Smoking" son éditeur, Gary Shrier écrit ce qui suit :

Churchwarden, 30s. ©Forcióri

Ce qu'Alfred Dunhill, -le fils d'un fabricant de harnais de cuir et de bâches en toile- a créé en 1907 lorsqu'il a ouvert son premier débit de tabac dans Duke Street, à Londres, fut quelque chose d'extraordinaire : il mit en place une nouvelle norme de qualité supérieure pour les articles de fumeurs, et il établit l'exemplarité du service au client comme une nouvelle identité.

L'avant-propos de l'édition originale d'About Smoke comprend ce qui suit :

Fumer est sans aucun doute un plaisir des sens, en premier lieu du goût et de l’odorat, mais ensuite de la vue et du toucher. Cependant pour l’apprécier au mieux, il est essentiel d’utiliser des objets qui ravissent les sens.

Les nombreuses inventions de Dunhill démontrent que le côté pratique peut facilement s’allier avec l’aspect artistique.

Chaque brevet Dunhill a été conçu pour répondre à un besoin soit déjà exprimé, soit anticipé, mais dans la fabrication de l’article lui-même la beauté de la forme et le coloris n’ont absolument pas été négligés.

Les plus hauts standards de conception et de finition ont été mis en œuvre lors de la fabrication de chaque article.

Comme pour la plupart des personnes, articles ou entreprises célèbres, une bonne part de traditions et de légendes se combine avec autant de spéculations et rend difficile de séparer les faits réels du mythe. Il peut-être également difficile de faire la part de la vraie qualité et du génie marketing derrière une marque aussi célèbre que Dunhill. Dans cet article nous essaierons de nous y retrouver, ou au moins de donner une idée des difficultés aux lecteurs pour qu’ils fassent preuve de discernement devant l’information.

Ce qui suit est notre article revu et augmenté à propos de la plus connue des marques de pipes.Un grand merci à Yang Forcióri qui a fait la grande majorité du travail de cette révision approfondie.. --sethile (talk) 20:50, 7 August 2019 (CDT)



Quelques Raretés

Histoire


by Fairfax Media

Concours de fumeurs de pipe
Mr Colin Crow, directeur de la boutique Dunhill, préparant les 33 pipes semblables pour la compétition, et en testant une, comme il se doit. M Crow est également l'un des juges de la compétition. Le concours de fumeurs Dunhill (Dunhill Pipe Smoking Competition) débutera ce mercredi 30 octobre au soir au City Tattersalls. 33 personnes, y compris des dames, prendront part au concours, par équipe de trois. Les pipes, toutes de même taille, seront distribuées à chaque compétiteur.Ceux-ci concourent pour plusieurs prix, le premier étant une Root Briar d'une valeur de 1500 $ avec un pare-vent en or. 29 octobre 1980 Sydney- Australie.
About Smoke - Export 4ème Ed.


Alfred Dunhill et la pipe de Sir Walter Raleigh
TCette pipe, sans doute la première à être entrée en possession d'un anglais,fut offerte à Sir Walter Raleigh par les AmrindiensDurant plus de trois cent ans, elle fur précieusement conservée par les générations successivesde la famille de l'évêque Andrewes, qui la reçut de Sir Walter Raleigh sur l'échafaud. Le 28 novembre 1911, elle tomba par un coup de chance surprenant dans les mains qui convenaient, celles d'Alfred Dunhill, qui l'exposa au 30 Duke Street à St James à Londres.

Les hommes dans les coulisses

Alfred Dunhill

Alfred jeune© Alfred Dunhill Ltd
Signature d’Alfred
Les parents d’Alfred© Alfred Dunhill Ltd
Les maisonsd’Alfred© Alfred Dunhill Ltd
L’intérieur de chez Alfred Dunhill © Alfred Dunhill Ltd
Alfred est né le 30 septembre 1872 dans le faubourg d'Haringey, qui fait partie du quartier périphérique de Hornsey, au nord de Londres. Alfred était le troisième des cinq fils d'Henry Dunhill (1842 – 1901) et de Jane Styles (1843 -1922), sa cousine germaine.

"Granma a toujours prétendu qu'il n'avait pas pu aller à l'école avant l'âge de huit ans, parce qu'il ne savait pas parler correctement.Comme elle disait aussi qu'il était un enfant trop difficile pour qu'on puisse le confier à quelqu'un, j'en conclus que son tempérament agité s'affirma très jeune.En tout cas, lorsqu'il avait quinze ans, Père était un garcon long et mince d'une vive intelligence,bien qu'une mauvaise vue (et un début tardif) l'empêchèrent de réussir à l'école et de devenir un adepte de la lecture pour le restant de sa vie. Henry dépensa toutes ses économies pour l'éducation de son plus jeune fils. La vérité est que Père, à quinze ans, était impatient de se lancer dans un métier concret. L'école, disant il souvent, n'était simplement pas faite pour lui" Mary Dunhill. [3]

De façon regrettable, on trouve peu d'informations concernant la petite enfance d'Alfred, avant ses débuts dans l'affaire familiale. On a des informations éparses mais aucune référence fiable. L'une, en particulier, cite un article du New York Times, intitulé "Mr A. Dunhill" et disant que :[4] which reports this:

" Alfred Dunhill fut éduqué dans une école privée de Hampstead et eut des précepteurs jusqu'à l'âge de 15 ans. A 16 ans, il fit ses débuts comme apprenti dans l'affaire de sellerie de son père."

Deux ans après ses débuts professionnels, en 1895, Alfred épousa Alice Mary Stapleton (1874-1945). Son premier fils, Alfred Henry, naquit un an après, en 1896. Vernon naquit en 1897, John en 1899 et Mary en 1906.

Avec beaucoup d'énergie et de créativité, Alfred s'impliqua également beaucoup dans la construction immobilière au milieu de 1902[5], concurremment avec le négoce de tabac, et en 1905, après avoir vendu ses parts dans Dunhill's Motorities, il ouvrit une entreprise d'exploitation de brevets, la "Alfred Dunhill's Patent Development Company",grâce à laquelle il pouvait tirer profit des autres idées qu'il pourrait avoir (les bureaux se trouvaient au 8 Argyll Place, à l'est de Regent Street, quelques bâtiments après le National Skating Palace)[6]. A la fin de 1906, il fut forcé d'abandonner ce projet pour concentrer son énergie sur son projet de base, les produits du tabac, qui faisaient l'objet d'une demande croissante.

Alfred était fasciné par l'architecture et le dessin et fit subir à ses maisons (à la ville et à la campagne) de fréquents changements après sa retraite. Il envisagea également d'investir dans le commerce des jouets et des confiseries, mais n'eut pas l'opportunité de le faire.

(...) mon père était venu de Londres dans l'intention de construire des maisons dans ce qui était alors un petit village du Buckhinghamshire. Bien qu'il en sache peu en matière d'immobilier, c'était l'une des multiples enterprises commerciales qu'il accumula au cours des trente premières années de sa vie. Derrière ceci, il y avait le fait que la nouvelle ligne de Marylebone à Aylesbury traversait déjà le village, et ses horaires permettaient aux usagers les mieux nantis d'aller plus loin en campagne.Comme ils étaient susceptible d'avoir besoin de meilleures maisons que ce que Great Missenden pouvait offrir, mon père fit l'acquisition de quelques acres de terre près de la gare, fit affaire avec un constructeur local pour bâtir une demi douzaine de maisons assez classiques dessinées par lui, garda la première pour lui et dans les deux ans qui suivirent, vendit l'ensemble. Ces maisons sont toujours debout et font partie d'un Great Missenden agrandi. Cependant je suis quasiment sûre que lorsqu'à l'époque les profits de la vente des maisons furent partagés, mon père tira assez peu d'argent de l'affaire. Ce n'était pas l'une de ces grandes entreprises novatrices par lesquelles il illustra son empressement à miser sur une idée dans laquelle il croyait". Mary Dunhill, Our Family Business[7]

Après beaucoup de travail et de détermination, la première version de son livre "The Pipe Book" fut publiée en 1924 (la même année que la 5ème édition d'"About Smoke"). Le "Pipe Book " comprenait 262 pages dans sa première édition, il tomba à 207 pages dans son éditionrévisée de 1969, bien qu'à celle-ci soit ajoutée une préface rédigée par Alfred H. Dunhill. C'est un véritable traité sur l'histoire de la pipe, illustré de 228 dessins, 30 photos et 3 cartes géographiques contenant des descriptions détaillées.

Reviewed Work - MAN[8]

Le 23 novembre (la même année que la publication), une rubrique du New York Times [10] intitulée "Livres et Auteurs" félicitait Alfred Dunhill pour avoir fait de la pipe un "art de gentleman". Alfred fut aussi élu membre de de la Royal Society of Arts (Société Royale des Arts) en 1925 à la suite de son ouvrage. Le livre est resté disponible durant de nombreuses années en de multiples éditions. Il a été repris par de nombreux éditeurs au cours des années (1924-2011), passant selon les versions au noir et blanc ou à la couleur, de la simplicité à la sophistication.

The Pipe Book - Foreword by Alfred Dunhill.

Crtitiques, déposez les armes ! Et vous, Antiquaires, Archéologues, Ethnographes, Ethnologues, et gens de cette sorte, retenez vos stylos frémissants! Il ne s'agit pas d'un savant traité, mais d'un simple livre, et écrit de même. Jetant un jour un coup d'œil paresseux par delà ses dadas habituels, chacun mâchonnant traquillement dans son écurie, l'auteur aperçut un nouveau venu, arrivé vraisemblablement par hasard la nuit d'avant. Et enfourchant aussitôt ce nouveau dada, il s'en alla au loin jusqu'à des terres inconnues. Là il apprit et vit beaucoup de choses, qu'ensuite il écrivit et retraça dans ce livre. A tous ceux, érudits ou gens simples, qui, lors de son périple, ont dit telle ou telle chose qu'il ignorait encore à l'auteur à propos de ce nouveau dada, ceui-ci leur adresse par la présente sa gratitude et ses remerciements.

Aspas-copy.png“Donnez à un homme une pipe à fumer,
Give Donnez à un homme un livre à lire,
Et son foyer s'illuminera de plaisir, même s'il s'agit d'une pauvre chambre .
Aspas.png
[9]


Alfred prit sa retraite en 1928, à l'âge de 56 ans, pour raisons de santé. [10] (On ne retrouve aucune trace de ses éventuelles maladies). Durant sa retraite il passa l'essentiel de son temps dans sa villa, du nom de "The Old Barn" (la Vieille Grange). Il adorait la mer, la navigation et la pêche sur la côte du Sussex sur son yacht à moteur, Poppy, dont il profitait pendant des heures de plaisir et de détente. Il aimait la musique également, et on raconte qu'il était un excellent pianiste. Il céda donc sa place à Alfred Henry, et laissa l'entreprise Dunhill continuer sans lui, jouissant apparemment d'une retraite tranquille. Alfred Dunhill mourut dans une maison de santé de Worthing le 2 janvier 1959. [11], et fut incinéré au Crématorium de Golders Green.[12]



Alfred Henry Dunhill

Alfred H. Dunhill
London Gazette - 1919 [21]
Alfred H. Dunhill fait sa revue de qualité périodique
Le “Pipe Book” d’Alfred H. Dunhill
Revue Tobacco, 1er février 1941.
Lettre du Duc de Windsor à Alfred.H.Dunhill -1957
Alfred H. Dunhill lors d’une de ses visites en Sardaigne, à la recherche de bruyère pour ses pipes.

Alfred Henry naquit en 1896 dans une petite maison de Cricklewood. C’était l’aîné d’Afred Dunhill. Un homme grand et imposant, qui devint Pdg de l’entreprise lorsque son père prit sa retraite en 1928. Il occupa le poste 33 ans.

Aspas-copy.pngMon frère aîné et mon favori, Alfred Henry, ainsi que je l’appelais pour le distinguer de mon père, était un grand garcon mince de dix sept ans lorsqu’il vint pour la première fois travailler à Duke Street, calme et timide comme Père mais avec un sens de l’humour pince sans rire qui suscitait la sympathie de ses collègues.Aspas.png
Mary Dunhill.[13]


En 1912 Alfred H Dunhill entra dans l’affaire et commença son parcours dans l’entreprise comme apprenti (il avait alors 16 ans) mais, en 1914, la Première Guerre Mondiale éclata et Alfred Henry Dunhill abandonna son travail et s’engagea. En 1918 Alfred Henry Dunhill gagna la Military Cross (MC à Frégicourt 1 Sep 1918 - 31158/1 Février 1919)[14]) durant la bataille de la Somme. Il s’engagea en tant que soldat et fut démobilisé à la fin de la guerre avec le grade de capitaine. Il fut décoré de la Military Cross, la troisième plus haute distinction décernée aux officiers de l’armée anglaise. Il retrouva son poste dans l’entreprise en 1919.

"Alfred Henry, qui venait d’avoir dix huit ans lorsque la Guerre fut déclarée, revint à la maison un beau jour de l’été de 1914 dans un uniforme de soldat du Régiment de la Reine. Je me souviens que sa tunique était beaucoup trop petite pour son grand corps et aussi qu’ avant qu’il ne m’embrasse pour me dire au-revoir, qu’il me montra comment il enroulait ses bandes molletières. Nous ne le revîmes plus jusqu’à son retour en permission après plusieurs semaines dans les tranchées du Front sans qu’il ait même jamais eu la possibilité de retirer ses chaussures. Je pleurai lorqu’il nous montra les poux qui gigotaient dans les coutures de sa tunique aux manches courtes. Mère, je m’en souviens, le fit déshabiller dans le jardin, emporta l’uniforme dans la cuisine et le mit dans le four chaud.

Le Télégramme du War Office que Mère redoutait depuis quatre années arriva le jour de l'Armistice. Alfred Henry avait été blessé et rapatrié à Bethnal Green où un atelier avait été converti en hôpital d'urgence. Mère et moi filâmes en vitesse, muettes de terreur, mais nous le trouvâmes l'esprit tranquille, entouré par des soldats en tenue d’hôpital, pâle et fatigué et vraisemblablement heureux de rentrer à la maison. Il n’avait rien de pire qu’un eclat de shrapnel dans une jambe, mais comme on n’avait pu réussir à l’ôter complètement, il devait le gêner pour le restant de sa vie. Ensuite, dès qu’il fut suffisamment remis pour boitiller en s’appuyant sur une canne, Père, avec son sérieux coutumier, organisa une fête dansante pour célébrer le retour de mon frère à la maison.

A la permission suivante, Alfred Henry revint avec un ceinturon Sam Browne et des épaulettes de capitaine qui, apparemment, le taux d’attrition étant ce qu'il était, correspondaient aux responsabilités d’un colonel. D’après l’histoire hilarante qu’il rapporta, il avait eu à parader sur un cheval fougueux durant une marche de son bataillon, après n’être jamais monté sur une selle plus de quelques heures. Jamais un mot sur la boue, les rats, les privations, les bombardements terrifiants et la boucherie inimaginable du Front Ouest. Comme des milliers d’autres garçons qui étaient rentrés du Front, Alfred Herny était l’un de ceux qui étaient rentrés avec la tête d’un homme qui ne parlerait jamais de ce qu’il avait vu ou ressenti." Mary Dunhill. [15]

Sa bravoure fut citée dans les colonnes de la Gazette de Londres[16]:

"Pour sa bravoure et sons sens du devoir le 1er septembre 1918 dans l’attaque de Fregicourt. Devant une opposition importante, il a habilement manœuvré sa compagnie dans une attaque de flanc, qui a permis, bien que harcelés par le feu des mitrailleuses lourdes, de faire plus de 200 prisonniers. Ce succès fut en grande partie dû au résultat de son sang-froid et de son audace".

Un jour, Durant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, alors qu’une bombe venait de détruire les bureaux de la Société en 1941, le directeur s’assit au milieu des gravats, vendant les reliquats du stock de pipes aux passants. The Times[17]. En voir plus à ce sujet ic WWII Phase.

Alfred Henry devint président au départ en retraite de son père, mais ainsi que nous pouvons le lire dans les mémoires de Mary, il avait très peu d’autonomie. Son oncle Bertie gardait tout en main. L’affaire fut dirigée par Herbert jusqu’à son décès en 1950.

"Tout de suite après le départ en retraite de Père en 1928, lorsqu’Alfred Henry prit la présidence et devint directeur général, mais à peine plus qu’en titre, il fallut envoyer à Oncle Bertie des comptes-rendus de tout ce qui se passait à Duke Street et Notting Hill gate, de cette façon il pouvait diriger l’affaire en la contrôlant à distance. Et le fait est qu’il la contrôla. On lui envoyait le chiffre d’affaire journellement par télégramme. Deux membres du personnel masculin allaient à tour de rôle à Merano, leurs sacoches bourrées de rappports, de comptes rendus, de propositions de hausse de salaire et de demandes qui nécessitaient sa signature avant qu’on puisse y donner suite, l’exemple le plus absurde étant la querelle à propos du salaire de l’employée qui avait été augmenté d’une demi-couronne sans l’accord de Oncle Bertie. Il était furieux." Mary Dunhill. [18]

Dans le numéro de la revue Tobacco du 1er février 1941, Arthur E. Todd écrivit quelques mots sur Alfred Henry Dunhill et sa famille dans sa rubrique “les célébrités du tabac”[19]:

L’entreprise qui naquit d’une idée qui tombait à pic à l’époque des voitures ouvertes à tout vent. Alfred Dunhill dans sa boutique – C’est leur fierté – 400 prisonniers lui ont valu la M.C. L’affaire déplorable de Madame Le Brun

Alfred Henry me fait songer au jeune prêtre responsable d’un temple rempli de choses qu’il chérit, et qu’il aimerait que, vous aussi, vous appréciez. Je sais qu’il me pardonnera de dire ceci; car ce grand homme mince avec sa barbe noire presque broussailleuse cache un humour tranquille derrière ses yeux sombres. Il serait, je crois, de bonne compagnie si vous le sortiez de la” boutique”, pas d’une bonhomie bruyante, mais plutôt d’une conversation stimulante, qui serait pleine de sens. Le président de Dunhill sourit assez peu, d’un grand sourire qui s’affiche entre sa moustache et sa barbe bouclée, le plus souvent lorqu’il parle de l’entreprise, de la famille, de son père ou de son grand-père.

A travers ces pays conquis par Hitler

L'environnnement est extrêmement différent ici. Vous sentez, lorsque vous entrez dans cette grande boutique basse de plafond de Duke Street (il y a deux niveaux d’étage séparés, avec des marches qui épousent la pente de cette courte mais aristocratique voie du West End), que si vous deviez consacrer 5 minutes en moyenne à examiner de façon satisfaisante tous les articles qui sont ici, celà vous prendrait environ une quinzaine en travaillant huit heures par jour. Il y a des présentoirs vitrés comme dans les bijouteries, les murs sont couverts de vitrines; et étalés, disons plutôt disposés dans leurs boîtes, sur elles, et partout autour, il y a ce que les marchands de tabac appellent des articles de luxe, sélectionnés, bien évidemment, avec un soin méticuleux. Ce n’est pas étonnant. Partout où est maintenant Hitler, en Europe, (et comme disent les Yankees, dans de nombreux autres endroits), Monsieur Dunhill est allé auparavant, récoltant et choisissant pour ses clients, disons plutôt ses habitués- toutes ces petites affaires que les hommes apprécient d’avoir sur eux tout au long de leur vie.

Le tapis de la boutique est un tapis simple, je dirais bronze clair. L’endroit dans son ensemble est d’une tonalité marron clair. Il y a des boiseries délicatement ornées. Tout ce qu'il peut y avoir de verre, ici, je n'ose pas y songer en ces jours de bombardements. Le portier à la porte d’entrée de Jermyn Street porte un uniforme foncé brun-rouge, soutaché d’or, avec un A.D. doré brodé sur ses revers.Nul n’oserait entrer en coup de vent chez Dunhill. Vous y êtes accueilli. Que tout se fasse (semble dire la boutique) convenablement et de façon appropriée. Rien ne presse, vous êtes venu davantage pour choisir que pour acheter. Et bien sûr vous avez l’argent qu’il faut pour payer. En fait, vous aimeriez avoir de quoi vous offrir tout ce que vous voyez.

C’est important de replacer Mr Dunhill au sein de sa boutique, car j’imagine que la boutique est toute sa vie, elle, et son approvisionnement avec de jolies choses à vendre. Ce n'est pas pour lui – me semble-t'il encore- la routine habituelle et ennuyeuse ou les ventes et les achats en coup de vent. Vendre est pour lui tout un art. Et qui dira le contraire?

La compagnie grandit de façon exponentielle sous sa direction, en tant que fabricant de pipes et vendeur international de tabac. En reconnaissance de sa réussite à l’exportation, sa soeur, Mary Dunhill, reçut le Queen’s Award To Industry (Récompense de la Reine à l’Industrie) en 1966 et 1969.

159 Letter.jpeg






Lettre personnelle d'Alfred Dunhill Août 1939.
(Cette lettre de Dunhill semble assez typique  de ce que chaque auteur envoie habituellement à un petit groupe de connaissances lorsqu'un  livre qu'ils ont écrit vient d'être publié).


Alfred Henry était un érudit et prit la suite de son père .Mr Dunhill soutenait que le tabac était aussi gratifiant et enrichissant que le vin ou la nourriture, et publia plusieurs livres sur le sujet. Ceci inclut “The Gentle Art of Smoking”(le Noble Art de Fumer) (1954) et “The Pipe Book,” (le Livre de la Pipe), une étude révisée sur la pipe dans le monde, publiée pour la première fois par son père en 1926" .[17]

Henry's father - Alfred Dunhill.
The Pipe Book (Le livre de la Pipe) - Préface par Alfred H. Dunhill

"Depuis plus de quarante ans le Pipe Book semble avoir attiré autant les fumeurs de pipe que le lecteur générique qui s’intéresse aux fumeurs comme un aspect del’histoire sociale.
En tant qu’étude de la pipe aux premiers âges, je pense qu’il n’a pas encore trouvé son rival. J’ai en conséquent le grand plaisir de présenter une édition revisitée avec de nouvelles illustrations basées pour l’essentiel sur des pipes de la collection Dunhill. Hormis des changements mineurs, le texte est celui que mon père a écrit en 1924[20]

Le livre “ The Gentle Art of Smoking” (le noble art de fumer) apparaît comme une histoire du tabac (culture, préparation etc..) et aborde ensuite les pipes et les cigares.

The Gentle Art of Smoking (le Noble Art de Fumer)– Introduction
"Il n’est pas nécessaire d’être dans le négoce du tabac pour réaliser que fumer est devenu rapidement, sauf pour une petite minorité, un art perdu et un plaisir limité. De fait, de nombreux fumeurs pris dans le rythme enragé de la vie moderne ont clairement admis que c’est uniquement un calmant, essentiel pour leurs nerfs à fleur de peau. A leurs yeux les Havanes, les cigarettes faites main et les brillantes pipes d’écume, qui ornaient les fumoirs d’il y a cinquante ans semblent aussi lointains que tout l’attirail élaboré du fumeur qui enthousiasmait tant l’Angleterre Elisabéthaine.

Aujourd’hui la cigarette omniprésente a privé nombre d’entre nous de ce passé glorieux et nous a pris à la gorge. Fumer est devenu une habitude, et l’habitude, comme dit le proverbe, émousse le plaisir.

Pour celui dont le métier est d’intéresser le public à l’ensemble de ce domaine, tout ceci est très dommageable. Pourtant tout ne s’explique pas totalement par les problèmes économiques d’aujourd’hui. Celui qui fume peut se permettre de varier sa façon de fumer et d’en apprendre un peu plus sur un plaisir qui, à dire vrai, est assez cher. Mais ayant essayé de répondre aux lubies et aux caprices des fumeurs depuis de nombreuses années, je suis sûr que quelques solides connaissances et un peu d’esprit d’aventure sont les qualités essentielles qui manquent à la majorité des fumeurs.

Profondément conservateurs, beaucoup sont prêts à consacrer annuellement de grosses sommes sans chercher à savoir comment ils peuvent en retirer le plus de plaisir en échange. On considère que fumer est quelque chose qu’on apprend de façon quais instinctive, ou une habitude qui nécessite peu de recherches. Les gens qui ont une telle optique ferment les yeux sur ce qu’ils dépensent et ce qu’ils fument. Résultat, les cigares sont achetés, maltraités et parfois gâchés Des pipes qui sont le résultat de nombreuses années de talent et de savoir-faire sont achetées par des gens qui n’ont rien d’autre que leur fantaisie pour guider leur choix, et qui les fument d’une façon qui leur rend impossible d’en tirer une quelconque satisfaction. Certaines marques de tabac font les délices de quelques uns, mais ne sont jamais essayées par la grande majorité. On choisit parfois des cigarettes comme si le seul critère de distinction était la couleur et la forme de la boîte".

Alfred H. Dunhill.[21]

Il prit sa retraite en 1961 (la direction fut reprise par sa soeur Mary Dunhill) et mourut dix ans plus tard.

"Mon frère, Alfred Henry, qui était devenu Président du Groupe à ma nomination de Directeur Général, est mort en 1971. Ayant travaillé dans l’entreprise pendant plus de soixante ans, il en a été Directeur Général pendant trente trois ans et, a fait plus à mes yeux pour valoriser l’affaire d’origine, ainsi que Père et Oncle Bertie l’ont reconnu, que n’importe quel autre au cours de son histoire. Lorsqu’il rejoignit le personnel de la boutique en 1912, les bénéfices se montaient à 1000 £ par an. Au moment de sa mort ils étaient d’environ 1 Million de £. Le fait qu’ils aient atteint plus de 4 millions de £ à l’époque où mon neveu, Richard, m’a succédé comme Directeur Général en 1976 est une indication de notre taux de croissance dans le début des années 70, spécialement sur les marchés à l’étranger dont j’ai parlé. Le commerce aujourd’hui n’est plus aussi développé qu’il l’était à l’époque d’Alfred Henry, il est mené différemment et quelque peu différent dans sa nature. Je considère par conséquent la fin de la carrière de mon frère comme une sorte de ligne de partage des eaux qui historiquement, sépare le commerce des premiers temps de ce qu’il est devenu aujourd’hui. Dunhill, Mary. Our Family Business (The Bodley Head - Great Britain, 1979).

Alfred Henry Dunhill (Aged 75 years.), president of the Dunhill Tobacco group, and a leading figure In the British tobacco industry died today at Hove, Sussex. He was 75 years old. He is survived by his widow, Phyllis, and a sister who is chairman of the company. The Times. [17]


Mary, Richard, and more

Herbert-E-Dunhill.jpg


  • Herbert Edward Dunhill (known as "Uncle Bertie") joined his brother in the business in 1912.

Father’s next brother and his junior by twelve years, who was later to play an all-important part in the tobacco business.

Marydunhill.jpg



  • Mary Dunhill was the last child and only daughter of Alfred Dunhill, the founder of Alfred Dunhill a company that moved from selling motoring accessories to tobacco products before becoming the luxury brand it is today.
  • See more about it here: Mary Dunhill

About the Family Business

Euston Road - 1900
Alfred, Alfred Henry and Mary Dunhill
DMC.png

The challenge of a Dunhill history is to separate myth and legend from history. This, however, may be impossible. The story of Alfred Dunhill is so tied up with myth that the myths are now part of the history. Alfred Dunhill, being aware of this phenomenon, probably perpetuated many of such myths. Nonetheless, let us try and begin at the beginning in the early 1900s. Smokingpipes[22].

In 1861 Frederick Dunhill (1807-1876) had a coal merchant at 2 Barnsbury Place, in north London, but by 1839 he was also manufacturing sacking (packaging company - manufacture of covers and woven bags) in which to sell it. Henry (1842-1901) The youngest among his five children, worked as an apprentice. In 1870, with Frederick's death, Henry takes over the business. Later he also became a piano merchant. The business was located on Euston Road (a road in central London that goes from Marylebone Road to King's Cross) where he also began to manufacture, gaining emphasis, accessories for carriage and riding, such as saddlery and harness.[23]

The first mention of the company was as long ago as 1793 when a Dunhill ancestor was "concerned with outfitting for horse traffic". The next 100 years passed relatively uneventfully until, in 1893, 21-year-old Alfred Dunhill took over his father's business, which sold horse leathers, saddlery and accessories for carriages in the Euston Road, London.
Although he had served an apprenticeship in harness-making and travelled with a pony and cart selling carriage blinds, Alfred was quick to abandon horse traction for motor cars as soon as the 1896 Locomotives on Highways Act raised the national speed limit from 4mph (with a red flag man walking in front) to a slightly less restrictive 12mph.
Telegraph.[24]

In 1896 the automobile revolution began to occupy its space in the streets of London. Henry soon realized that this movement posed a future threat to his business. At 55 years old, he was no longer well in health and considered his retirement. When a fire destroyed a section of his store in 1897, Henry decided it was time for his son to take over the business. Mary reported, on a certain occasion, that her grandfather told that in one night, he came home and said: "So you want to take it over, Alfred?". Astute and already glimpsing the market, Alfred said yes and they shook hands. A few weeks later, Henry retired.[25]

And here is where Alfred Dunhill begins his historic journey. In 1887, Alfred, Henry's third son, became an apprentice in his father's harness business. In mid-1893, then at the age of 21, Alfred emerged as an entrepreneur after taking over the saddlery business of his father, which ends up dying a few years later.

Father was driving to and from his business in the De Dion motor-car which was his latest infatuation. He claimed that it was the third car to enter the country and, though he never became the sort of enthusiast who was prepared to spend more time under the bonnet than in the driving seat, he soon turned his passion for cars to practical effect by opening, close to the Easton Road premises, another enterprise. Mary Dunhill.[26]

In 1897, the harness business is expanding and now has accessories for motor vehicles on Euston Road 145-147, London. In 1900 the business is expanding and extended with the founding of the Discount Motor Car Company, directed to the sale by a correspondence of automotive accessories established on the 108 of Euston Road. In 1901, the Motor Mart Employment Agency, specializing in the maintenance of automotive vehicles, starts operating at the same address.

To cater for this growing clientele, Dunhill set up an employment agency for motor mechanics, a motor discount company and published a magazine called Motor Mart. Telegraph.[24]

Through the Motor Mart Alfred also sold many cars in those days, but the manufacturers supplied him cars without any of the essential accessories, he soon moved out of car trading and began yet another business called Dunhill's Motorities. That same year, Henry, Alfred's father, dies. In July 1902, seeing beyond car and correspondence sales decides to open the first store fully specialized in automotive accessories. It was the "Dunhill's Motorities" on Conduit Street, N. 2-London. In 1903, Alfred Dunhill LTD (its predecessor company) is incorporated.

The business was the biggest of its kind in the country and Father, handicapped by lack of funds, was obliged to ask an associate to join him and form a limited company. This enabled them to extend the Euston Road premises and open two shops In Conduit Street, in the West End, which specialized in fur-lined coats, footmuffs, gauntlets, dust-veils, and all the other paraphernalia that these early motorists required. Mary Dunhill.[26]

Alfred, responding to the growing demand for automotive at that time, developed a line of accessories called "Dunhill's Motorities". His first collection included horns, lamps, car headlights, jackets, leather overcoats, goggles, picnic sets, watches etc. His motto was: "Everything But the Motor ".

In a few years, the business has advanced, becoming a reflection in the market of luxury automotive accessories, resulting in the opening of two stores of Dunhill's Motorities in Mayfair, a central area of London, in the district of Westminster. At this point, Dunhill had become known not only for commercializing car parts, but also to provide clothes and other motoring accessories. The catalogue of the "Dunhill's Motorities " presented more than 1,300 items at the time.

In 1903, Alfred also ventured with timepieces[27] Dunhill were selling timepieces as early ago as 1903, explains Simon Critchell, the worldwide president of Dunhill. Typical of Alfred Dunhill’s ingenuity was the remarkable item known as Dunhill’s Speedograph. This highly specialised timekeeping instrument offered its user a sophisticated flyback chronograph, the seconds hand of which made two revolutions per minute, thus enabling the user to count off fractions as small as a tenth of a second, while another feature enabled the user to read in miles per hour the speed of an object being timed. Such accuracy and functionality would be remarkable on a mechanical timepiece today... not least in 1903. See the full article here: "Mechanisms For the Modern" - QP Magazine 2007.

Windshield Pipe - flyer
Wind-shield Patent

In 1904, another Dunhill's Motorities store is open on Conduit Street, N. 5. Also that same year, a department of wholesale and export was opened occupying two buildings on the Euston Road-359-361.

In 1904, Dunhill's headquarters moved in a more fashionable direction along the Euston Road to an impressive corner site that incorporated showrooms, workshops and offices. Presumably, it was where the chauffeurs and footmen came to try on their liveries. Telegraph.[24]

Still in 1904, after careful registration of patent, Alfred launches a pipe with a protective shield that aimed to combat the effects of the wind in open car - was the famous and iconic "Windshield Pipe".

The development of the pipe which was to bring Alfred Dunhill world-wide renown arose out of sheer coincidence. A regular customer came into the shop and complained that it was impossible to smoke a pipe while driving his open Ford. The young Dunhill took up the challenge, and designed a pipe with a built-in ‘windshield’. This pipe provided the spark for what was to become his lifetime passion: pipes and pipe tobacco. The Worldwide Pipe Smoker's Magazine (1993).[28]

The first wind-shield pipes were patented in 1904 and sold from 1904/05 onwards, while Alfred Dunhill operated his “Dunhill's Motorities business. The Duke Street tobacconist store did not exist yet, it only opened in 1907. Therefore, those early pipes, to my best knowledge, were stamped on the stem with DUNHILL’s over PATENT (patent number App 25261, applied in 1904, issued in 1905). The White Spot Division.[29]

The promotion flyer said:

Aspas-copy.pngA Joy to Outdoor Smokers.
Is indispensable to the sportsman, the yachtsman, the automobilist, the billiard player. It is, indeed, a boon and comfort to every pipe smoker.
Aspas.png


"(...)hoping to combat some of the difficulties a smoker would face while driving. It was this sort of innovation in response to the customer’s needs that would make Dunhill Pipes the leader in its field." Smokingpipes[22].

"the initial windshield pipes were not a success. Within a few years, many were recut to a flat top bowl and sold off at a discount." The Dunhill Briar Pipe[30]

It wasn't a tremendous success but had a catalyst effect on young Alfred. In 1905, Alfred left the automotive business and opened another company for the development of patents, at Argyll Place, N.8 - London. At the same time, other stores at Dunhill's Motorities have been opened in Edinburgh, Manchester, and the Cecil Hotel in London.

"He turned his interest in gadgets and marketable ideas into a small but lucrative business. 'Little ideas properly worked bring fortunes' was the slogan in a press advertisement offering the public his opinion on the merits of minor inventions in return for a small cash payment.

The gadgets and the notions that poured into Argyll Street kept my Father in an element he loved. Cameras, gramophones, cine-projectors, piano-players, the latest in tin-openers - throughout his life he had to bring home every novelty he could lay hands on just as he had to have hobbies ranging from model trains to fishing and table tennis to acting. And onto his desk, one day came that all-important pipe with a wind-shield which first turned his thoughts in the directions of the tobacco trade." Mary Dunhill.[31]

Since his apprenticeship to the family harness-making business, he had already built up and sold his interest in an enterprise called Dunhill's Motorities which had seized upon a market still in its infancy by selling special clothing and accessories to the earliest motorists.[32]

Richard Dunhill reports in the foreword of "Alfred Dunhill - One Hundred Years and More" that his grandfather left the automotive segment aside after some disagreements with his associates. Alfred Dunhill decided to go further and opened his first tobacco shop in London at Duke Street-N.31A in 1907. It was only the beginning of what would become one of the biggest brands of tobacco and pipes in the world. Loring also reported something about it in his book: Notwithstanding that lack of initial success, Alfred Dunhill sold his own car to raise the capital to open a tobacco shop at 31a Duke Street.

Aspas-copy.pngThe details of what happened to the fortunes of the earlier Alfred Dunhill Ltd are mostly unclear, as records from the period are practically non-existent (mainly due to the April 1941 blitz). Although Alfred Dunhill resigned from the Company in 1905, it seems that he remained on amicable terms with the new management as he was still a prominent shareholder in December 1908, over a year after he had started trading as a tobacconist. There is also the fact that when Alfred and Herbert incorporated Dunhill Brothers Ltd on 27 May 1908, the share subscribers included Walter Richard Parker, the accountant and founding director of Alfred Dunhill Ltd. Dunhill Brothers Ltd never in fact traded, and it was dissolved at the directors’ request on 10 March 1911. It is known that Alfred Dunhill had, by 12 June 1912, disposed of all his shares in the eponymous company.Aspas.png One Hundred Years and More. [33]

::
The Telegraph

In an article named "Weird and wonderful" for The Telegraph, by David Burgess-Wise on 16 Aug 2003, we have a humorous and interesting Dunhill's historical summary.

Today's drivers want CD players and sat-nav systems. But the motorists of yesteryear equally craved their 'toys'. David Burgess-Wise recalls the impact of Dunhill's stores for motorists. True to its Edwardian slogan "Everything but the Motor", coined in the days when it supplied pioneering "automobilists" with a host of accessories for their horseless carriages, the luxury goods company Dunhill this year sponsored the Goodwood Festival of Speed's Soapbox Challenge, where motors are forbidden. See the full article here.


New Phase - Duke Street Era

Highly innovative, Alfred starts his new journey on 7 July 1907(most likely 9 or 10 September)[34], exploring his other interests by opening a cigar and tobacco shop in London on Duke Street-31A. The Duke Street shop sold hand-blended tobaccos, cigars and Dunhill-made cigarettes. It would take three years for Dunhill to start his pipe manufacturing, in the meantime, he marketed third-party pipes (French or obtained from English wholesalers like Charatan).

Alfred did not know much about the tobacco business but was learning as he dealt with his clients. Of keen sensitivity, he soon realized that most of the pipes available on the market were of low quality and that he could market better quality products at twice the price. In the early days, Alfred faced some financial problems, like most traders at the beginning of their ventures. His tobacco shop wasn't the only one in the area. There was strong competition, but his competitors lacked quality offerings. Alfred exploited this market deficiency, establishing a new standard of quality and service.[35]

Aspas-copy.pngI started in ignorance, and I learned everything from them: business is that.Aspas.png Alfred Dunhill.


At first, the focus was on tobaccos. As he defined in his first catalog, published in 1910, called "About Smoke ", he was an expert in making blends, which he exhibited prominently in his entry window: "Tobacco specialist". Alfred Dunhill was a born merchant, and when he opened his first tobacco shop, he knew exactly where he wanted it to go.[35] In the following images - probably taken by Alfred, we have his three assistants (Bill Carter on the left, Mr Jelley and Mr McEwan[36]) with whom he shared the tasks. He used to go to the store every day in the afternoon. The second colour image (the third in order), is part of Dunhill's Centennial commemoration Set of 2007.

Each customer could come and create his own recipe, noted in a little book entitled “My Mixture.” This is a prime example of Dunhill’s ability to tailor itself to the customer’s needs. Developed in 1907, the Mixtures guide by Alfred Dunhill, the "My Mixture Book ", came to count 36,700 variations[37]. Always attentive to the details, he talked to all the customers and noted the preferences with precise indications.

Dunhill 107 - '20s ©Forcióri
My Mixture Book

Whatever the tastes of customers, the tobacco desk can cope, for it offers a unique hand blending service. Each customer can create their own mixture. Each order is written into an enormous book that sits behind the desk. The ‘My Mixture’ book was begun by Alfred Dunhill shortly after he opened the shop and contains the personal blends of some of London’s most notable figures, including various Kings and Queens (including Queen Victoria), Rudyard Kipling and JB Priestley. Despite suffering bomb damage during the Second World War, it is still very much in use today. A quick glance through the most recent pages reveals an internationally diverse range of customers with very definite tastes.
The ‘My Mixture’ book symbolises Alfred Dunhill’s smoking products operation, for in the course of serving customers it has become a piece of history itself. Each page of the book seems imbued with Alfred Dunhill’s personality. Indeed, from the pipe manufacturing processes used in Walthamstow to the ambience of the Duke Street shop, Alfred Dunhill the man is visible everywhere.
The Worldwide Pipe Smoker's Magazine (1993).[38]

Alfred also sold pipes, but there are some inconsistencies regarding the origin of pipes in the first years of activity. Sources are claiming that the pipes came directly from France and others that Alfred bought from well-established local producers (we discussed this topic more deeply here: Pipe Workshop). Alfred Dunhill, however, was unsatisfied with the current quality of available pipes — they were simply not doing justice to his creative blending.

Enquiry Form
Alfred making a mixture

According to Balfour in: "Alfred Dunhill One Hundred Years And More", initially the Tobaccos were obtained from George Dobie & Sons, a manufacturer of blends located in Paisley, west of the Midland Valley in Scotland and also of some cooperatives producing Tobacco. Creating blends is more than just mixing sheets in different proportions. There are techniques to develop a mixture, for example, cooking, roasting, pressing, mattering, etc. and can hardly be made at the shop counter. After five years, in 1912, his youngest brother, Herbert Edward Dunhill (1884-1950), joins the business[39]). He was an insightful merchant and is soon ahead of the company's financial issues (a function he exercises until his death on 8 November 1950[40][41]), allowing Alfred to give his creativity to the development of new products.

Alfred was restless and always wanted to hone his products, taking him (in 1912) to leave the blends tailored in the background. This was when Alfred presented his own mixtures "in-house", they were: the "Royal Yacht" (Virginia), "Cuba" (Cigar Leaf) and "Durbar" (Latakia, Oriental/Turkish, Virginia). Products acclaimed up to the present day[35][37].

Alfred opened a small factory of his own in 1910 (up to this year the business had been a purely retail one, but in 1910 the Dunhill commenced to manufacture pipes, which were stamped "Dunhill, Duke Street, S. W."). He set down two principles that would guide the production of Dunhill Pipes. First, pipes would be made of only the finest quality briar, with exacting care by expert craftsmen. Secondly, the pipes would be priced accordingly; the customer would recognize the value of a superior product. This ran counter to the current trend of inexpensive pipes of lessor quality that one simply discarded after a short while. The Dunhill pipe was made to last a lifetime and always with an eye to the utility. It must smoke well and continue to do so with age. To this end, Alfred invented the aluminum‘ inner tube’ to keep the innards of the pipe clean (see more about it here). When the pipe became dirty the tube could simply and easily be replaced. Note, of course, that this innovation predated the widespread use of pipe cleaners.

In 1912, the famous white spot was introduced for very practical concerns (see more about it here). With straight pipes, customers had trouble knowing which way to insert the handmade vulcanite mouthpieces. So Alfred Dunhill ordered white spots to be placed on the upper side of the stem. This very practical solution would become a definitive trademark of Dunhill pipes. The “white spot” soon became known as a symbol of quality.[22]

Bill Carter © Alfred Dunhill Ltd
“Skullcap” Pipe for Motorists

Before the war, Alfred faced many difficulties, in this period a member of his team stands out, as Mary related:

"During the years we lived in Harrow before the First World War, I was too young to take in much about the new business. Nor did Father later say very much about his hard times; I think he preferred to forget them. So I have gathered many of my impressions about his activities at that time from a jovial man called Bill Carter who, having been taken on with the other two members of the staff as a boy of fourteen, looked back on those days with the pride of a pioneer. As a senior member of the Duke Street sales staff in later years, Bill Carter had formed lasting relationships with almost everyone he had ever served, from Indian princes and royalty to the customers who bought cigars one at a time. He even became persona grata at 10, Downing Street during the last war because it was his business to ensure that Winston Churchill was well supplied with his favorite cigars, often a conspicuous part of his V for a Victory salute. Even so, I’m certain that this kindly, cheerful man, even in his sixties, still thought the most exciting moment in his life was the day he persuaded Father to take him on at a wage of nine shillings a week.

And how Bill Carter had to work for those twenty-three pounds a year. All-day he was occupied in tidying, polishing, everlastingly putting pipes back in their mahogany cabinets, answering the telephone, sweeping up every shred of tobacco that fell onto the green carpet, dressing the window after closing time, presenting himself punctually every morning with polished shoes and a clean collar. If he was shouted for, he dropped whatever he was doing and ran. Yes, ran, for Bill Carter spent half his life on the run. Something of an athlete in his youth, he would leave his home in Wandsworth in the early hours of the morning and jog-trot the three and a half miles to Duke Street, returning by the same means at night. If there were parcels of cigarettes and cigars for delivery, as there usually were, he would put the penny he was given for the horse-bus into his pocket and start running towards Regent’s Park or Kensington or wherever he had to go. Nor did Father ever ask him for his penny back. He must have thought his delivery service cheap at the price.

What Father didn’t reckon with was the long-term credit most of his well-to-do customers took for granted. For if, as Bill Carter explained, every item of merchandise in the shop had to carry a tag to save customers the embarrassment of having to ask the price, what would have been their reaction if confronted with an account simply because it had been unpaid for several months? Father knew only too well. If tailors and other West End merchants could somehow arrange their business so that impertinent requests of this sort didn’t have to be made, why not a struggling tobacconist? Of this situation, all too many customers took advantage with the result that Father extended their credit far beyond the limits of his own.

His creditors quickly realized what was happening. It was not a situation they were likely to tolerate for long. Within the first two years of trading, they called a meeting after meeting until Bill Carter was the only assistant Father could afford to keep on. On one occasion, when bankruptcy seemed inevitable, one friendly cigar importer saved the day for him by praising Father’s enterprise and originality, urging his fellow creditors to give the business the benefit of a few more weeks." Mary Dunhill.[42]

With the advent of the First Great War in July 1914, many of its customers ended up in the trenches of northern France, where Dunhill sent boxes of tobacco[43], pipes and hygiene items[44]. Alfred sent the sealed boxes, declared and labelled "castor oil", which smelled strong and penetrating, to avoid miscarriage and ensure that it reached the front[44]. Inside the box, in addition to the courtesies, Alfred suggested in a letter that some items would be shared with other officers. Invariably, these items were part of the parallel trade that existed in the theatre of war. In addition to French – obviously, there were Americans, Canadians, and Belgians (among others) in the region. The confluence of these factors favoured the diffusion of the brand around the globe.

The company grew exponentially over the course of the First World War(Dunhill’s production increased by a factor of more than 15 times). It is estimated that in 1914 Dunhill had sold 10,000 pipes, jumping to 30,000 in 1916, 134,000 in 1918 and 276,000 in 1921[45]. In the 1920s the international demand was gigantic, resulting in the creation of an exclusive export department. Dunhill also initiated numerous partnerships with Cuban cigar manufacturers (Dunhill Cigars), selling exclusive brands[46]. With the success of his store in London, he expanded to New York in 1921 and Paris three years later.

Selected Cigars (Dunhill Cigars)
La Flor de Lorenz (Dunhill Cigars)
Dunhill Around the World
Classic Series Ad ©Alfred Dunhill Ltd.

Alfred Dunhill’s most revolutionary innovation was the Shell pipe in 1917 (see more about The History of Dunhill's Shell). How this technique of sandblasting came about is somewhat of a mystery. The story often told is that Alfred Dunhill went down into his basement in the wintertime to make a couple of pipes and accidentally left one, a half-finished piece, by the heating boiler. He returned sometime next summer, having suddenly thought of the pipe, only to find some of the grain had ‘shrunk’, leaving a relief pattern. Obviously, this is apocryphal, probably resulting from the ‘shrunken’ look that sandblasts (especially the gnarly ones of that era) frequently have. Some say the name “Shell” came from the shrivelled look the pipe took on after the sandblasting process. Alfred realized Algerian briar, then considered inferior, could be used in this new process. The softer wood could be ‘blasted away’, leaving behind only the harder briar and the beautiful natural pattern of the wood. Originally, the Shell pipes were not stamped because the sandblasting technique, not yet been refined, made recognizing the standard shape much more difficult. Though the Shell finish certainly did not arise from accidentally forgotten pipes in the cellar, it was definitely an important innovation on Dunhill’s part. Smokingpipes[22].

Another new technique ended up ensuring the quality of Dunhill pipes. Before the sandblasting process, Dunhill would have the Algerian briarwood bowls immersed in olive oil for several weeks. Afterwards, they were left to dry, with the excess oil being occasionally wiped off. This method was originally developed for aesthetic reasons, but it turned out that the oil caused impurities to be forced out of the wood, resulting in a faster curing process. A further consequence of this process was the briar became incredibly durable, making the occurrence of burnouts much less frequent.

In 1921, only fourteen years after Alfred Dunhill opened his doors, the firm developed ties with the royalty, supplying George VI with tobacco through the thirties and received its first Royal Warrant, as Tobacconist to Edward, Prince of Wales[47][48][49]. In the same year, 276,000 pipes were sold in the Duke St[45]. Shop. Dunhill formally instituted a one-year pipe guarantee (the "White Dot Guarantee") and in conjunction with that guarantee a date code system to date the year a pipe was offered for sale and Alfred Dunhill of London Inc. formed in New York (the store was opened one year later, in 1922 - same year of Alfred Dunhill of London Inc. was formed in Toronto and The Parker Pipe Company Limited also formed to become a subsidiary of Alfred Dunhill Limited.[50]

It is intriguing to me how very late Dunhill came to the pricing strategies we now take for granted with luxury products—with steeply ascending price for reasonably minor incremental differences in quality. I mean imagine going to Duke Street in the 1920s and ‘30s and having your choice of a shape 53, a 56, or an LLC at exactly the same price. Guy Lesser.

In 1923, a remarkable year, the company opened its capital in the stock exchange authorizing an initial capital injection of 300,000 pounds sterling (Alfred Dunhill Limited formed, with an initial authorized share capital. Alfred and his brother Herbert served as directors). Dunhill has done its first registration of "Alfred Dunhill" signature as a trademark. Later during WWII, the company kept Winston Churchill constantly supplied with the cigars (Dunhill Cigars) that would become such an essential part of the famous British icon. The '20s and '40s were successful years.

Dunhill had a doorman, a former Royal Horse Guards officer, and also gratified taxi drivers who got customers with ten cigarettes from a discontinuous line produced for soldiers during the Great War. The underground cigar room was richly furnished in mahogany with a thick green carpet and Venetian lamps. It was guarded by the watchful eyes of Major Malcolm Somerset-Johnstone, a former cavalry officer who wore a furry hat and a monocle and offered the exquisite cigars of a large mahogany cabinet that, rumored, came out of the Duke of Devonshire's mansion in Picadilly.[51]

The company expanded, offering specially designed pipes during the 1920s that would be marked OD for "own design" (see examples A DUNHILL ODA SHAPE CHART). This concern for marking and always having patent numbers on pipes is what allows for much of the dating process today. The stamping during the twenties was inconsistent and some of the early shell pieces lack marking altogether. later, in the 1930s there was a desire to standardize. A shape chart was developed (see more about Dunhill Shape Chart & Dunhill Shapes List) that used numbers and letters to signify a specific shape. Each new pipe would be stamped to identify its size and shape. Smokingpipes[22]

Alfred retires in 1928 with health problems[10], leaving his brother Herbert Edward Dunhill ahead for a few months until his first son, Alfred Henry[23] could take his position (on 5 February 1929)[52]. Richard Dunhill (the Firstborn of Vernon), years later, gives the understanding that Herbert was the head of the company until his death in the ages of 1950[53]. He lived in Monte Carlo and participated in the management of the business through correspondence – letters, telegrams, and punctual visits[53]. Alfred Henry, like his uncle Herbert and his brother, Vernon, began his journey in the company as an apprentice in 1912, then at the age of 16. In 1914, with the beginning of the war, he was absent from the business to serve the army - he resumes its position in the company in 1919. Mary, Alfred's youngest daughter, joins 1924, 18 years old. Alfred Henry and Mary begin to have more effective participation in 1929, facing the difficulties of Uncle Herbert with modern commercial practices. Between 1923 and the beginning of 1970, 95% of the company's revenues were related to tobacco consumption, the accessories accounted for only 5%[53]. After expansion and strategic reformulation in the years 70, these numbers changed order.

The Alfred Dunhill of London Inc. (formed in New York in 1921) filed a petition to the U.S. government to reduce import fees on February 5, 1929, to be able to reduce their prices and thereby be able to compete with the American market. They also expected to increase their profit margin, which was very small at the time. It mentions a type of Kaywoodie pipe being more expensive and also argues that a cigarette case and a card case are essentially the same thing, therefore they should not be taxed at different rates [54]. It is an interesting historical document that exposes the reality of the market in a pre-crisis scenario of The Great Depression, that started in the United States on September 4, 1929. See the full petition here.

World War II also presented some problems (WWII Phase), the Dunhill shop at Duke Street was destroyed during the Blitz in 1941 and had to be relocated[55]. The supply of briar became more tenuous[56]. Italian briar was restricted by the Italian government to be used only by Italian carvers. The Algerian briar became more difficult to acquire. The war also left Europe in shambles. Depressed financially, there was no place in Europe for high-end luxury goods. Consequently, the American market grew and American taste determined the direction of Dunhill pipe making. Large pipes and traditional shapes were in demand and so Dunhill created a new line (THE POST WWII “ODA/800” SERIES) of pipes called the “800” OD series[57], recycling the old OD stamp[22].

Dunhill has always been creative in its designs and finishes. It is, however, Dunhill’s principle of absolute quality achieved through unrelenting quality control that has set Dunhill apart from the rest.

As the chairman, Richard Dunhill would say later, in 1981[58]:

“It’s easy to make a cheaper product, but the reason we’re here today is that we resisted the temptation. Quality comes first.”

Dunhill pipes regardless of shape, size, and finish must always smoke well. This principle laid down in the early days of the company continues today. At the Dunhill factory, just outside of London, pipes are made by 15 full-time expert craftsmen who boast a cumulative work experience of 260 years. Knowing a high-quality product must begin with the best possible material, the briar used by Dunhill is from carefully selected burls from bushes a hundred years old. Even with selecting only the highest quality briar with the finest grain, once the briar bowls begin to be carved certain flaws are exposed and many bowls have to be discarded. At every stage of the process, there are mandatory quality checks that ensure a Dunhill pipe will smoke well from the first to last bowl of tobacco, regardless of age. Each step in the six-week process is done by hand. Over 90 different steps are required in a process that has changed very little since the days of Alfred Dunhill almost a century ago.

Dunhill Pipes are now prized collector pieces and the most famous pipes in the world. Alfred envisioned the Dunhill Pipe to be something special, a pipe to be coveted for its quality, sophistication, and refinement. Alfred Dunhill’s vision continues today. To smoke a Dunhill is to experience this tradition, a tradition of excellence that is perhaps the greatest in the world of pipes."[22]

Duke Street Shop - the '90s & early '00s

The Desk boasts a cosmopolitan clientele, and obviously, today is no exception. I ask Burrows whether various nationalities have very definite tastes in pipes and tobacco. ‘Absolutely. For example, the Italians are the only people who buy pure Latakia. If they have a mixture, it has a high content of Latakia in it. If they buy a pipe it is normally a smaller bowl. It suggests they like strong tastes and they like to smoke a pipe a little at a time.’ In contrast, Burrows says, most Japanese customers opt for highly aromatic tobaccos. But perhaps the most interesting recent trend is the appearance of younger smokers: ‘We’re seeing a lot younger people in their twenties going onto pipes. They come in with their father or friends and I try to get them onto a pipe. Also, a lot of people who smoke cigars want to try something else because they don’t want to spend so much money on cigars, so I’ve suggested a pipe.’ Do these young smokers go for a certain type of pipe? ‘Yes, they like a straight pipe rather than a bent pipe. Bent pipes tend to look a little ‘old’. They like a small bowl with a straight stem. In terms of tobacco, 1 would have thought they would have liked more aromatic tobacco, but surprisingly not. They prefer the ones that are a very English mixture with Latakia. The Worldwide Pipe Smoker's Magazine (1993).[38]

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In an article named "The New Alfred Dunhill Shop" for The Worldwide Pipe Smokers Magazine in 1997, Tim Rich give us a glimpse of this new phase and talk a bit about the museum (now closed).

When something steeped in tradition and character is changed, one fears the worst. When I heard that the Alfred Dunhill Shop in London had undergone a dramatic redesign and that the popular tobacco desk had been moved ‘upstairs’, I hoped that the firm had embraced modernity without throwing away history. I travelled to London’s swish Jermyn Street to see the results of the change for myself. Tim Rich. See the full article here.


My Mixture Moment by Dan Bruno.

Since the founding of the company, My Mixture blends were available and the recipes were stored in a book. Beginning in the early 2000s, Dunhill ceased keeping records or recipes for custom blends in its shops. In 2005, Dunhill suspended the sale of tobacco-related products.

At the beginning of the 2000s, Mr Burrows (a longtime collaborator who supervised the mixtures) related that the book still existed, but it was not in Dunhill's possession. He also said that British American Tobacco (the company that owned the rights to all Dunhill tobaccos for quite some time as “Rothman’s” before they merged) owned the book as well as controlled the production of present Dunhill tobaccos (though Dunhill still makes its pipes). BAT will not release it or its contents to anyone. He has tried several times to convince BAT to release the My Mixture recipes to him while still allowing them to retain ownership of the book, but BAT declined. Mr Burrows was unhappy about the situation.

Dunhill Beehive (1993) ©Forcióri
Dunhill T - Shape Pot (1985) ©Forcióri
Dunhill A - 59 (1968) ©Forcióri

Addendum: In 1989 Richemont acquires Philip Morris' 30 percent interest in Rothmans International[59]. Rothmans International Group was formed in October 1993 through the reorganization of the tobacco and luxury goods businesses of Richmont, Rothmans, and Dunhill into two new listed groups, Rothmans International and Vendome. Rothmans International comprises all of Rothman's tobacco businesses and certain tobacco trademarks previously owned by Dunhill and Richmont. International cigarette brands owned and controlled by the group include Rothmans, Peter Stuyvesant, Dunhill, Craven A, and Golden American. Under its constitution, Rothmans International has a dual holding company structure, in which the shareholders hold units comprising twinned shares in Rothmans International Plc, a British company, and Rothmans International NV a Dutch company. Rothmans International Plc owns the UK-based businesses and Rothmans International NV owns non-UK based businesses. The composition of the boards of both companies is identical. Following the reorganization, Rothmans Tobacco (Holdings) SA, an indirectly wholly-owned Richmont subsidiary, owns 61% of the Rothmans International units, with the balance being held by former public shareholders of Rothmans and Dunhill[60]. Vendome is now called Richemont (created in 1988 by the spin-off of the international assets owned by Rembrandt Group Limited of South Africa) and owns percent effective interest of BAT stock.
In 1995 Richemont buyout of Rothmans International minority shareholders. In 1996 Merger of Richemont's tobacco interests with those in South Africa held by Rembrandt Group Limited, Richemont owns 67 percent of the enlarged tobacco group. In 1999 Merger of Rothmans International with British American Tobacco (Richemont holds 23.3 percent effective interest in the enlarged British American Tobacco)[59]. The Dunhill brand as owned by Richemont was organized into two separately controlled entities: Dunhill Manufacturing (The White Spot Smoker's Accessory Division: pipes, lighters, leather goods, etc), and Dunhill luxury goods, which includes the stores, watches, pens (Dunhill bought Mont-Blanc around 1977), clothes etc[59] (Richard Dunhill headed the pipe making division). Today, it is not a separate entity. The White Spot (smokers' accessory) division is a product division within Alfred Dunhill Limited (like menswear, leather goods or hard products)[29] The stores and other branded items are run separately by people who figure their potential customer base is 95% non-smokers.[53]

Amber Root, Gold Band, 1999 By Emanuele Mauro

Addendum+: In 1976 Dunhill acquired (for U$2,185,000 + 106,000 £ after loan repayments) Lane Limited which included Charatan (acquired by Lane in '62), Ben Wade (acquired in '65 and the Grosvernor Pipe (founded in '62 by Herman Lane). In 1987 Dunhill Sold the control of Lane Ltd to Rothmans (later merged with BAT).[61]
Dunhill allowed Preben Holm to use the Ben Wade name until his death, in 1989. Almost a decade passed before John Louis Duncan bought the name from Dunhill and relaunched the brand while still using the Dunhill Factory at Walthamstow. The Ben Wade brand was subsequently sold to Mr Peter Wilson, in 1998 (John Duncan, a grandson of the founder John Louis Duncan, sold the firm to his brother-in-law Peter Wilson)[62][63] .
The Richemont group continue with manufacturing and selling the Charatan pipe brand nowadays (Dunhill and Charatan are still under the umbrella of them). Parker and Charatan pipes are mainly made in the Chatham workshop in Kent or abroad. Just the stamping and packing of those pipes is done in their main factory, in London[29].
In 1988 Dunhill licensed the rights to the Charatan name, trademark and shape chart - there was hardly more left over to sell - to James B. Russell Inc. (Upper Saddle River, NJ). Russell had made his Charatan pipes in Saint-Claude, France. Butz-Choquin is said to be the manufacturer. Now, Saint-Claude made pipes are surely not bad per axiom, but these Charatans were woefully poor counterfeits of the "real" ones and quite a flop in sale. When J.B. Russell went out of business in 2002 Dunhill reintroduced Charatan and called on Colin Fromm of Invicta Briars and Castleford fame to produce Charatan freehands now. Since Colin Fromm and his foreman Colin Leeson, both belonging to the small number of English pipe artisans skilled in making high-end freehand shapes had already been making exquisite free-hands for Dunhill for a couple of years in Chatham, Kent.[64]



Pipe Workshop

Dunhill's Pipe Shapes, Dec 1914.
Alfred and his machine, Adolphus - courtesy J. Guss.
Briar Selection. ©About Smoke
Alfred's Workshop ©About Smoke
Briar Selection. ©About Smoke
Outdoor Smokers
"My Loft" - ©Guy Lesser.
Leather Covered - 60s. ©Forcióri

Loring stated in his book that between 1907 and March 1910 (before establishing the manufacturing facility) Alfred's pipes were not made by him. He bought fully manufactured pipes, (most probably) made out of varnished Algerian briar, in four shapes. These were thick shanked, thin shanked, military mount billiards, and a bulldog. After this period, the pipes came from France.

These third party made pipes initially carried in the Duke Street shop in 1907 were given shape numbers running from 1 through 30, with shapes 1 and 3 being copied by Dunhill in 1985 for its seventy-fifth anniversary of pipe making set. The pipes came with and without silver banding and in three quality grades (high to low: "B", "A" and "popular"). I do not presently know how these 1907 pipes were stamped, but if I were to hazard a guess it would be DUNHILL over DUKE ST. S.W. on one side, with the shape number either on that side or the reverse.
In 1909 Dunhill began an in-house pipe repair business and a year later, in March 1910 expanded to a two-man pipe making operation, primarily using bowls shaped in France.
The Dunhill Briar Pipe[65].

Bob Winter joined Dunhill to handle pipe-repair work in 1909: he came from F. Charatan & Sons Ltd (of which company an account will follow). He was keen on the idea in the back of Dunhill's mind that a factory should be started, and introduced Joe Sasieni (also from Charatan), an amber and meerschaum worker, who joined the team for 50s a week, on 7 March 1910. One Hundred Years and More. [66]

He had continued to make headway as a tobacco blender, though, until 1910, he was still without a pipe to do justice to the quality of his blends. The calabash and finely carved meerschaum pipes in his showcases were too fragile for everyday use, and customers had long been complaining about the taste of the cheaply varnished Algerian briars which, as I pointed out, were about all any tobacconist had to offer. Mary Dunhill [67]

Alfred doesn't mention to anyone, Mary reports, but he was investigating the pipe maker's craft from end to end Mary Dunhill [67]. Alfred Dunhill enticed Joel Sasieni away from Charatan (including Joe Sasieni who was to form his own distinguished pipe company in 1918. The first five Dunhill pipemakers all came from Charatan) and opened a small pipe workshop of his own at 28 Duke St on 7 March 1910. - two rooms upstairs providing the humble beginning. The focus was to use the finest quality briar, and expert craftsmanship to make pipes that would provide a superior smoke, and last a lifetime. The cost would reflect these principals, which was against the current trend of inexpensive pipes of lesser quality (the Bruyere finish is first introduced).

From Saint-Claude, a small town in the Jura mountains which is the French home of the briar pipe industry, Father could obtain the wood he wanted. But from the day he began to study the effect of sunlight on immature bowls in his shop window, he had become obsessed with the subject of wood, its nature and the business of seasoning it. This is why it had taken him three years to evolve the heat treatment processes that are peculiar to the Dunhill pipe and which have a fundamental effect on its smoking properties and on the lasting, natural finish that is given to its grain. Mary Dunhill. [68]

Loring also defended, at this time, that Dunhill Bruyere pipes were generally finished from French turned bowls until 1917, when the Calabrian briar started to be used, but not completely[65]. Only in 1920 did Dunhill take the final step in its pipe making operation and began sourcing and cutting all of its own bowls, proudly announcing thereafter that "no French briar was employed".

Mr Hener and Mr Tim Rich believe that in the beginning the pipes were obtained from English wholesalers.

I understand that the pipes sold in the period since the opening of the Duke street store in 1907 until opening of his own manufacture on 7 March 1910 were obtained from English wholesalers, possibly from wholesaler Alfred J. Nathan (for the less expensive varnished qualities made from Algerian Briar) and from Adolph Posner (for more expensive Straight Grains). As to the manufacturing origin of those early pipes and if they were manufactured in the UK, France or otherwise, I have no knowledge. The White Spot Division.[29]

Pipes made by two respected pipe makers, Alfred J. Nathan and Adolph Posner, were bought in. The shop quickly established a reputation for its tobaccos and cigars, but Alfred Dunhill was left with the feeling that its pipes were not up to scratch. So, in 1910, his company started making its own pipes, bringing in Joe Sasieni from Charatan &. Son to head up the production team. The Worldwide Pipe Smoker's Magazine. [69]

And after March, with the factory ready to produce, most Dunhill pipes were completely made in-house.

With the opening of its own manufacture, most pipes were completely made in-house. Some of the bowls selected and graded in the first of the manufacturing processes in 1920 possibly came from Saint-Claude in France. However, as perhaps those were of lessening quality or becoming too expensive, Alfred Dunhill established a bowl-turning unit at 20 St. Pancras Road near King’s Cross station. The White Spot Division.[29]

The first pipes were made by two men on the upper floor of Nº. 28 Duke Street. By 1912, when the pipe was well and truly on the market, Father had about half a dozen hand-picked craftsmen in a workshop in Mason's Yard, a short distance from the shop. They worked from eight in the morning until seven at night and, when required to finish pipes the shop would sell next day, later than that. No question of a five-day week or of water to wash with. Like every employee, they received a small commission based on sales and they worked hard because, with the ginger-haired man they called the Guv'nor bounding up the iron staircase several times a day, they were in no doubt about the urgency and importance of their work. Mary Dunhill [70]

At first, the Dunhill pipes were made at Mason’s Yard, just a short walk from Duke Street, but as the size of the operation grew, it moved on to bigger premises, first at Notting Hill and later at Plaistow. Following the acquisition of Charatan &. Sons, the operation was moved to the old Parker Hardcastle factory in Walthamstow in 1982, where it remains to this day. ‘Every Dunhill pipe is made in that factory,’ explains Philpott. ‘A high proportion of Charatans are made there too, but it is basically an Alfred Dunhill factory. The process and the people are geared up to make the very best quality products. It’s a unique factory in terms of the number of individual processes involved and the length of time it takes. Consequently, it’s not cheap in terms of manufacturing costs to make an Alfred Dunhill pipe. The Worldwide Pipe Smoker's Magazine,[71]

In the beginning, Dunhill's pipes were limited production straight grains, hand-cut from over century-old briar burls and fitted with hand-cut 'push' vulcanite bits.

These pipes were individually priced from ten shillings sixpence to over four pounds.· I am not sure how these pipes were stamped but most likely DUNHILL over DUKE ST. S.W. appeared on the shank with either a "B" or a "DR" near the bowl. A "B" stamping is possible since at that point in time "B" denoted Dunhill’s highest quality pipe. On the other hand I believe "DR" more likely as that stamping was being used to denote straight-grained pipes by at least as early as 1915. While these pipes in time became a high-end subset to the Dunhill 'Bruyere' (and later the Root) line initially they should be distinguished as these straight grain pipes were hand-cut in London from burls as opposed to the Bruyere line which was generally finished from French turned bowls until 1920. (The qualifier 'generally' is used here because any pre-1920 OD, HW or letter shape Bruyeres were most probably also carved from burls in London). The Dunhill Briar Pipe. [72]

Hener's information corroborates Loring's, and expands with information about the Motorities pipe production:

If we talk about the earliest Dunhill pipes during the Motorities period (1904 – 1907), there were 3 qualities: A Quality (“First quality Briar, with finest vulcanite hand-finished mouthpiece”), B Quality (“specially selected Briars, hand-made”) and a Popular quality, which was lower grade and price.
Later, once his own production started, the nomenclature was similar: A Quality, the more expensive B Quality and the much more expensive limited production Straight Grain pipes.
The White Spot Division.[29]

Mary also related that Micrometer measurements have established everything that they needed to know about the shapes and design of bowls[70]. Every Dunhill pipe should have its own specially designed mouthpiece, hand-cut from the finest block vulcanite.

In an article on Fumeurs de Pipe[73] , it is mentioned that Dunhill also used briar from other English wholesalers for his Magnums.

Richard Esserman thinks that Dunhill subcontracted to BBB the manufacturing of the bowls for his Bent Magnums until 1923. In fact, when the companies of the CIL stopped fighting each other, all the bowls were turned in. The new factory was located in Stratford, Carpenters Road. CIL also bought Zuckerman machines as they were more efficient. The finishing workshops closed, and the pipes were finished at Aldershot and sometimes at Shoeburyness. At that time, it was common practice in commerce to offer other companies surplus stummels at agreed prices. Cadogan used to sell Grade A to Dunhill, and buy him Grade II, III, and IV stummels. But they did not finish the pipes for the other companies: to sell stummels of grade A to Dunhill was more profitable than to make them pipes!

Pipe Workshop Today

The White Spot Factory

The factory is located in a district in northeastern London, Walthamstow, since 1982. The brand was repositioned, and the pipes received new stamps in March 2012. Now they are known as "Alfred Dunhill's - The White Spot".

We recently consulted Mr Hener to get more information about the briar used today and here is the answer:

We try to source the best Briar money can buy from a variety of different sources. Sometimes we do know the exact origin of the wood and sometimes we cannot be entirely sure (especially when sourcing via specialist wholesalers), but more important than the origin is the actual quality of the wood that we purchase and, consequently, the quality of pipes we can make out of it. All wood comes from the Mediterranean region and the countries or areas bordering the Mediterranean sea, be it France, Italy, Corsica, Greece, Morocco, Algeria, etc.
As for the age of the wood, the quality of our pipes necessitates a certain minimum age as a suitable Briar root (Erica Arborea) may take around 50 to 100 years to mature in the ground to allow for suitable size and also quality of its grain, but sometimes we can obtain Briar that is considerably older.
The White Spot Division.[29]

Hener, K. S. Product Line Director - The White Spot Smoker's Accessory Division.

For some time, rumours have been spread about outsourcing the production of pipes and that they are manufactured in France - even today. Mr Hener assures that production is in-house - this is just unfounded rumours, as we can see in an article By Stephen A. Ross for the Pipes & Tobaccos Magazine.

While Hener and Wilson are both insistent that there is little in common between Parker, Charatan and Dunhill pipes, they more passionately refute reports that Dunhill pipes are made anywhere other than the factory on St Andrews Road. The rumours that our Dunhill pipes are made in Saint-Claude, France, are completely false,” Hener bluntly states. While conducting a tour of the factory floor, Wilson shows two employees working with band saws, cutting blocks and shaping them into rough bowls, and adds, I think that those rumors started from other companies who are jealous of our position. They’re envious of our position and reputation in the market and they want to try to knock us down a little. Pipes & Tobaccos. [74]

Seeking a better understanding of the current production, we talked to Chris Felts. He has been the U.S distributor since 2003 and he has managed all aspects of imported Dunhill smoker's products. He personally handpicks each pipe for the U.S every year, often making multiple trips to London to do so.

Mr. Felts & Mr. Hener a few years ago at the IPCPR trade show.

The current pipes are much higher quality than decades before whereas many, many years ago they had different grades of briar which they would use a letter code, i.e A/B and so on. These days they only use plateau grade briar, only this kind for all of their pipes, therefore you can trust that each pipe is the same high quality as the next pipe. Quality control is much higher than in previous decades. With a small number of people in the factory, each pipe is scrutinized under a microscope to ensure the best quality.

The the factory in London produces each mouthpiece from a solid vulcanite rod, initially carved down by a lathe, the white spot is installed by drilling the hole and inserting white spot from a solid rod, bent by hand (they put the straight mouthpiece in a type of heater, then bend by hand), then the multiple stages of handwork are done to finish each mouthpiece to include final polishing (not entirely by hand, a lathe must be used for the initial shape, much like a band saw is used in the initial stages of cutting the briar prior to it being shaped by hand using a sandpaper wheel. Each mouthpiece is tailor-made for each pipe. You can have two identical pipes, the same shape, the same size, but you cannot exchange mouthpieces with both of those pipes. Each mouthpiece is different from the next)
. July 8, 2020.[75]

Just One More Thing

nolines
Alfred Dunhill Shop's Humidor Room.
Interior view of the Humidor Room at the Alfred Dunhill shop in the International Building at Rockefeller Center, New York, New York, mid to late 1941. The walls are lined with cases and boxes of cigars. (Photo by Bernard Hoffman/The LIFE Picture Collection).


nolines
Dunhill’s shop, 136 S. Rodeo Dr, in Beverly Hills in the early 1950s.

Rodeo Drive is a two-mile-long (3.2 km) street, in Beverly Hills, California, with its southern segment in the City of Los Angeles. Its southern terminus is at Beverwil Drive, and its northern terminus is at its intersection with Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills which is known for its luxury goods stores. The operating time and closing date is presently unknown.

About New and Old Pipes

About Smoke - 90th Anniversary, Special Edition. ©Forcióri


Among the brand lovers, there are always doubts as to the quality of the pipes and their relationship with the period when it was manufactured. It is often said that Dunhill only manufactured good pipes until mid-1968 and after that, the quality was compromised. The patents Era ended in 1954, but it is said that good pipes continued to be made until mid-1968.

Originally at the time in the late 1970's - when a so-called cut-off date was established between for the great Dunhills versus more current production - the actual year was 1962. Then it migrated to 1964 then the current 1968. In my mind, what did change were aesthetics. Esserman[76].

In an article named "The Myth of Brand and Maker in Pipesmoking", Dr Hanna brings to the light of our consideration what might justify this thought.

DR - S. Selected by Richard Dunhill. (1975) ©Forcióri

Dunhill is famous for its oil curing techniques and this is believed to be a source of its peculiar and particular taste and flavor characteristics. On the surface this sounds quite neat and tidy. But just a bit of analysis immediately makes such claims quite suspect. Does every Dunhill have that same character? I could find no evidence for this in the tastings that I have done with Dunhills. One vital question concerns when a particular Dunhill pipe was made. Bill Taylor of Ashton pipe fame has remarked that during all the twenty-plus years that he worked for Dunhill, that he never observed any oil applied to a Dunhill bowl. David Field told me on two occasions that he is convinced that oil curing stopped after 1968 and after that Dunhill pipes were quite different. Thus, Dunhills after the mid-1960s do not appear to have been oil cured at all and, on top of that, their bowls seem to have come from different suppliers. Dr Fred Hanna. [77]

Dunhill Dress - Apple w/ Saddle Mouthpiece, from 90s. ©Forcióri

In 1967, Carreras Ltd (Rothmans International at the time - then in 1999 Rothmans was acquired by British American Tobacco[78]) purchased 50% of the Dunhill capital from the company and from members of the family and three of their directors joined the Dunhill board[79]. Is it possible that this new council has defined any administrative measures that have influenced the production of the subsequent products? We have signs of transition in that period, but we don't know if it was for that reason, but it is a possibility that it cannot be ruled out. It is also a period that the company begins to reposition itself in the market with male accessories, leaving tobacco-related products in the background.

Aspas-copy.pngIn the 1970s, therefore, the big expansion began, with the addition to our ‘core’ business of smokers’ products many of the things we were in fact retailing: men’s fashion, jewellery (including writing instruments and watches), fragrance and leather. Our whole distribution arrangements now had to be reorganized. The result was the formation of five different product divisions, each independent with its own management, design team, and sales force, and the appointment of different agents for each range. The consequence of this well-planned expansion programme has been dramatic: the previous core business of smokers’ products represented 95% of our sales and profits, with the other 5% being gift merchandise. Now the profile is the reverse.Aspas.png Richard Dunhill.[53]

Note: Mr. Richard Dunhill also mentions this change in an interview on Jack Webster's show, in 1984 [24].

Something similar was also reported by Robin Philpott (the Managing Director UK and Ireland) in the early '90s, in an article to The Worldwide Pipe Smoker's Magazine.

Luxury goods now account for approximately 95% of Alfred Dunhill’s sales. Yet the pipe business remains crucial to the image and heritage of the company. While Robin Philpott is not predicting a huge growth in Dunhill’s pipe smoking activities, he is optimistic about the pipe division’s future and excited by potential markets. The Worldwide Pipe Smoker's Magazine.[80]

Anthony Greener, Managing Director of Dunhill. 06 OCT 1978 (Photo by Chan Kiu/South China Morning Post).
14k Umbrella Pipe - Dunhill.
GQ, September 1973 - Model wearing a Lanham Donegal-tweed suit, a Bill Blass round-neck sweater, a Superba bow tie, and an Alfred Dunhill shell briar pipe (Stephen Ladner/Conde Nast).

At the beginning of the 60th decade, the Italian government restricted the use of the Briar to Italian manufacturers and the Algerian briar became scarce (a consequence of the Algerian War of Independence. 1954-1962), which forced Dunhill to turn to Grecian briar, as R. D. Fields said in The Art of Sandblasting, "During the 1960s and ’70s Dunhill could not acquire the Algerian briar." Consequently, the company’s sandblast pipes were much shallower and less distinct and, as R. D. Fields also related in another article, A Tail of Two Briars that the age of the briar used in the '60s was averaged between 60 and 100 years old and then changed drastically to a briar less aged, between 50 and 80 years. These factors contributed to the construction of this concept of loss of quality. But as Dr Hanna argues in his article, "briar from certain regions has different physical qualities, but this does not seem to be related to taste and smoking potential." Mr Esserman, Loring, and David Webb also mention these changes.

Dunhill around 1970 could not get discrete wood for the various - Sardinian for Tanshells, Algerian for Shells - Dunhill had to move to what I was told wood from Greece which did not blast as deep. Dunhill for a brief period used a black understain on the Shells - Dunhill experimented using blanks instead of hand-cut bits. So in the early-mid 1970's - Dunhill's reputation suffered. But Dunhill rebounded around 1975 and 1978 was one of Dunhill's greatest years ever. Esserman[76].

Since the early 1960's Algerian briar has been largely unavailable to Dunhill and much harder briar (primarily Grecian) has had to be used for the finish. As a consequence since the mid-1960s, the Shell finish is generally found with a significantly shallower blast. The Dunhill Briar Pipe. [81]

According to David Webb, the Dunhill pipe did have a problem in the mid-1970's, not so much with quality as with the outward signs of quality. Those in charge of policy at the time decided that the "shell" must be totally black and shiny - a blue-black stain was used, eliminating any reddish highlights. At the same time, the "bruyere" finish was lightened from its original plum color. These two changes have dampened the pipe's reputation and may be the cause for some criticism I have heard; but, even with these pipes, the underlying quality is still there. Since that time, of course, there has been a return to the original "bruyere" finish, and the new "deep shell" has reached our shores in limited quantity[82]

The metrics used in defining the concept of "quality loss" seems to be related to misperceptions of changes and aesthetics subjective values. In these circumstances, any definitive conclusion may be premature and unfair. Even the process of oil curing, that was considered determinant in quality, in the end, it not so decisive, as we can see in another consideration of Dr Hanna:

Several Dunhill collectors have told me in no uncertain terms that the old patent Dunhills (before 1955) smoke decidedly better than the later models. So, which time frame owns the peculiar Dunhill character? This adds considerable ambiguity to the great taste of a Dunhill. Does oil curing make the difference? Probably not if Dunhill pipes have not been oil cured for perhaps 33 years, and Bill Taylor implies that after a while oil curing is not a factor anyway. Taylor, who oil cures his own Ashton pipes, has stated that the effects of oil curing can no longer be discerned in a pipe after 30 or so bowls of tobacco. In other words, after a sufficient cake has formed and the pipe is well broken-in, the influence of the bowl treatment or curing method becomes negligible. Now where, I ask, is that unique Dunhill character? The cake and the wood itself probably have more influence on taste than the curing method after many, many, smokes. Dr Fred Hanna. [77]

There are pipes from different periods that, due to the manufacturing process, present some minor irregularities, such as misaligned bowl drilling, white dot and funnel bore of stem - especially in the '90s. But that doesn't mean they weren't good pipes. Some criticisms seem to be nostalgic - the brand continues to manufacture good pipes today, now called "Alfred Dunhill's - The White Spot".

I know many collectors who have told me personally that some of their Dunhills smoke great, while some do not smoke so well. I personally have owned a few Dunhills that were poor smokers and others that were fantastic. Dr Fred Hanna. [77]

I will say that I have smoked hundreds of Dunhill's - from all time periods and have found that the smoking qualities are great - no matter what the date of manufacture. I have the largest standard Production Roots from the 1970's - magnums from the early 2000's - just bought a 2019 Ring Grain Magnum - and have many great Magnums from the 1920's - 1930. So the 1968 date is meaningless. Esserman[76].

In order to discern quality in a pipe, one has to look at only a few things (of course much of the real judgment is in the smoking): the turned and bored bowl; the shank bore; the tenon/ferrule connection; the lip of the mouthpiece; the look and feel of the finish. Dunhill, I submit, has as high a standard of quality as it has ever had. This does not mean that every Dunhill released for sale, today, is a perfect pipe, for some are not! What it does mean is that the percentage of imperfect Dunhills is no greater today than, say, 1924. I have discovered two imperfect pipes in my 1920-1927 collection. R.D. Fields. [82]

About Dunhill Today

The family managing the business for decades. Mary and Richard Dunhill: portraits of Alfred and Alfred Henry behind. © Alfred Dunhill Ltd.

Alfred Dunhill is one of the brands of the Richemont group and we, The White Spot division, are one of the product divisions within Alfred Dunhill Limited (like Menswear, Leather Goods, Hard products, etc). The pipes are stamped Alfred Dunhill's THE WHITE SPOT. All Dunhill tobacco-related interests (cigarettes, cigars (Dunhill Cigars), pipe tobacco) were sold a long time ago (in 1981) to Rothmans (who many years later merged with BAT - for more information see the addendum at the bottom of New Phase - Duke Street Era section). They still belong to BAT today. The White Spot Division.[29]

P&T

In the magazine Pipes and Tobaccos - fall 2010, there is an article By Stephen A. Ross called: "A century of excellence" that talks about the past, the present and the future of the brand. It also talks about the current Dunhill Factory, its manufacture of pipes and a little bit about Mr Kalmon Hener, one of our contributors and Product Line Director of the White Spot Division.

A century after Alfred Dunhill opened his first pipe workshop, Dunhill pipes continue to be synonymous with English excellence. Guarding the flame a century after Alfred Dunhill provided the spark is Kalmon S. Hener, the general manager of Alfred Dunhill Ltd.’s smoking accessory division, now known as the White Spot Division; Stephen Wilson, the production manager who has been with Dunhill for more than 40 years; and approximately 20 employees who make pipes and leather goods at Dunhill’s legendary factory on St. Andrew’s Road in Walthamstow, an area in northeast London not far from White Hart Lane, home stadium to the English Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. Dunhill’s position atop the pipe market is strong. According to Hener, 2009 sales in the United States alone were up by more than 60 percent, making it the top market for Dunhill pipes. Pipes & Tobaccos. [74]

  • See the full article here, from page 8 to 11.

Video Interview with Richard Dunhill

The following video is a wonderful interview of Richard Dunhill from 11-14-1984. Richard is referred to here as "Old Alfred's Grandson".

©Royal BC Museum: Jack Webster and BCTV.


7dd1935cde061ec85fa8008021d717c1.jpg
Note: Richard Dunhill, the grandson of the founder of Alfred Dunhill Ltd., died on August 26, 2016, at the age of 89, having been an employee for 68 years. A son of Vernon Dunhill and grandson of Alfred Dunhill, Mr. Richard, as he was respectfully addressed by most staff, joined the Company in March 1948. He was appointed Executive Director in 1958, Full Director in 1961, Chairman of the Group in 1975 then President in 1989. He celebrated 50 years with the Company in 1998 and became its life-long honorary president[83].


  • See more about Richard Dunhill: "For London's Richard Dunhill, Life's a Lovely Pipe Dream" - People.com (04/13/1981) here

Dunhill Commercial

Dunhill Flyer - 1983

From the day Bill Carter accidentally dropped one onto the green carpet and they had noticed how this colour enhanced the appearance of the grain, pipes were always presented on a green pad under a strong light by salesmen wearing cotton gloves. And so that salesmen could give undivided attention to his costumer, his colleagues - including Father himself - tidied the counter for him, putting away unwanted pipes in the drawers of their cabinets. Mary Dunhill. [84]

The following video is a commercial that shows us a bit of Dunhill in 1981.


About the Spot & Stem

The White Spot
The White Spot

Although Alfred Dunhill was brilliant, he certainly did not imagine that this indicative spot would become his trademark. In March 1920, Dunhill had to go to the courts to defend his spot, the litigation was between Dunhill and Wolf Brothers and concerned the white spot[45], which was being replicated by VAUEN (before that, In 1917, Dunhill had conflicts with Barling for using a spot, but that didn't go far. The action was formally discontinued in 1918[85]). In their advertisements in the trade papers, they drew attention to the spot in such terms as "our brightest spot" (it was a silver spot). Dunhill was successful, while VAUEN had to restrict its use to the German and Austrian borders. The White Spot trademark was first registered in 1923, eleven years after its introduction.

"(...)One small problem emerged, however, as customers could not tell which way up to insert the hand-cut vulcanite mouthpiece of straight pipes into the stems of the pipes. Alfred Dunhill, therefore, ordered white spots to be placed on the true upper sides of the mouthpieces, and thus a world-famous trademark was created.
According to Bill Carter, the White Spot was introduced soon after the pipe-making unit was moved in 1912 from 28 Duke Street to 6 Mason’s Yard, about 40 yards down Duke Street on the left. Mason’s Yard is an interesting and ancient enclave. It was originally called St Alban’s Mews, after the Earl of St Albans, whose trustees were granted the freehold of the whole area in 1665 by the Crown. It was probably renamed after Richard Mason who, in the 1730s, was granted a victualler’s license for the house that became Mason’s Arms." One Hundred Years and More. [66]

By the early 1920's the White Spot had become identified with Dunhill and a trademark for the same was obtained in 1922. In 1923 the company prevailed in enforcing the mark against the white dot of another pipe manufacture (Wolf), and about the same time in America (but not in Europe) against the blue dot of the then new Sassini pipe. On some bits however, mainly amber and ivory, the Dunhill White Spot is really a small black circle that effects the appearance of a White Spot. The Dunhill Briar Pipe.[86].

At first, this rounded marking was thinner and made in celluloid, a species of an acrylic predecessor, which was used until the mid-40s, when it was replaced by high-quality acrylic. Because of its appearance, it was defended for years and by many, that the point was made in ivory. However, that is a widespread legend that lasted for years. We have as evidence, the description of The White Spot in an action that Dunhill advocated the exclusive use of the Spot in 1922.

As evidence we can see the white spot (which consists of imitation ivory inserted in the vulcanite) was placed on the pipe with a twofold object, namely, to indicate which was the upper side of the mouthpiece and to distinguish readily the whole pipe[85].

Note: All pipes come with a costly fitted black ebonite (is generically known as hard rubber and is obtained by vulcanizing natural rubber for prolonged periods. Ebonite may contain from 25% to 80% sulfur and linseed oil. The material has also been called vulcanite, although that name formally refers to the mineral vulcanite). 


Erinoid Stem
The Black Spot

This version of the spot appears only on the white mouthpieces, for an obvious reason. The stem was made from Ivory in the '20s up to '30s (maybe '40s) and after, from Erinoid. the White Spot stands out with a delicate black ring. Into it is inserted a vulcanite tenon which in turn pushes into the shank's mortice. We have made contact with the Dunhill's factory to know more about the production of the white mouthpiece in the last few years:

Aspas-copy.pngThis white mouthpiece was made in our factory. It is made from a material called "Erinoid", a predecessor to Bakelite and we used it for its colour. Until recently we had some stock of the material left.Aspas.png The White Spot Division.[29]


A piece of information about this material, taken from BBC, "A History of the World"[87].):

Casein plastic was made under the trade name "Erinoid" at Lightpill Mills in Stroud for about 70 years from 1912. Unlike the later plastics such as Bakelite, Casein plastic could be dyed in many bright colours. It could withstand the rigours of washing and ironing, dry-cleaning solvents, etc, and became popular for buttons and other household goods. It was eventually replaced by oil-based plastics for most users but is still made today on a small scale for high-quality goods.

Note: Genuine ivory always has grain. The grain is characterized by lines of random spacing and irregular thickness.
Note+: All the stems were hand-cut until 1976. They have since been machine made due to labor costs. They use a 3.7mm drill for both mouthpieces and stem bore (for bore pipes, 4mm)[29].
Smp2563-05-14.png
In the mid-20s, any Dunhill pipe could be supplied fitted with a mouthpiece of Amber, Tortoiseshell, or Ivory with an extra cost[88].


Addendum: Apparently, using some kind of spot on mouthpieces was a common practice at that time. For example, in 1912 some 200 gross of a pipe called "The Durbar," with a white spot on the side of the mouthpiece, were manufactured and placed upon the market in England. However, that pipe disappeared from the market seven years later. It seems there were also other brands, represented by Frankel, Wolf Brothers, and even Charatan & Son, bearing a spot on the mouthpiece at some point. On 22 September 1921, Alfred Dunhill commenced an action against Bartlett & Bickley, represented by the owner, Mr. Charles Davis Jonas. The business that carried on under the firm name of Bartlett & Bickley had belonged to Charles David Jonas since 1901, and it had been moved to Vigo Street in 1910. Before the 1920s, Mr. Jonas had sold pipes of other people's manufacture, but in 1921, he brought out a pipe specially manufactured for him with a red spot on the mouthpiece, similarly placed to the white spot on Dunhill's pipes. Such pipes were marked on the shank with Mr. Jonas’ trademark "Barbie" which was registered in May 1920. They were also marked with Jonas' firm name and address. Alfred had requested Mr. Jonas to discontinue the use of such a spot on their pipes, but Mr. Jonas refused to do so. Mr. Jonas also stated that they intended to continue to manufacture and sell pipes having such a spot on the mouthpiece and would do so unless restrained by the Court. The action came to trial on 29 June 1922. It is interesting to notice in the file of this action, that Mr. Alfred Dunhill tried to disassociate the spot from the popularly known function, i.e. being a useful resource to aid customers in replacing the stem right side up, and suggested that initially it was added to stems largely to be a decoration. Despite the Wolf brothers' case law, the decision was unfavorable and the action failed, being dismissed with costs. Apparently, Alfred would have to get used to seeing spots in other colors on the market, facing his much-esteemed white spot.[85]

About the Inner Tube

In the early 20th century, many pipes were set aside after a long period of use due to obstruction of the airway when they became clogged for lack of maintenance. In 1911 Alfred Dunhill developed a solution to this problem by inserting an aluminium tube, which could be replaced as soon as there were signs of clogging. In this way the use of the pipe was prolonged. The Inner Tube was heavily produced until the 1930s. With the advent of "Scovillions" (or pipe cleaners) the innertubes gradually fell from use.

Dunhill began fitting some of its pipes with an aluminium tube that ran through the shank to facilitate cleaning and make the pipe more hygienic, an "inner tube". While often today the first thing that a new Dunhill pipe owner does is toss that tube aside as he reaches for a pipe cleaner, there was a time when there weren't pipe cleaners and in that world, pipe cleaning was a particularly unattractive chore. The Dunhill Briar Pipe.[89]

  • 5861/12 was the first patent registered. However, there are other patents for these same tubes, with records in different countries. Examples: 1130806/15 - 158709/14 - 116989/17 - 1343253/20 - 197365/20 - 491232/19.

Aluminium inner tubes for the Dunhill pipes were patented in March 1912, but they were being fitted about eighteen months earlier. They sold at one shilling for a packet of six. One Hundred Years and More. [66]

Alfred Dunhill put it this way in March 1912 when he applied for the "inner tube" patent:
The object of the invention is to provide means of an inexpensive nature which will ensure a pipe always remaining clean and sweet. When a tube has become fouled on its interior surface it can either be thrown away and replaced by a fresh tube or be cleaned by boiling in water.
The Dunhill Briar Pipe.[89]


Note:The aluminium tubes are still being manufactured (for straight pipes only) and can be purchased from authorised White Spot retailers worldwide. The product sku is PA3104 or now DUPA3104. The White Spot Division.[29].

About Sets - Pipe Cases

7 Pipes - Week Set
4 Pipes Set
Week Set Box
2 & 6 Sets, 1914
3 pipes Set

The first setup (see images on the right) contains 7 pieces for the weekly rotation, where the days of the week related to each of the pipes.

"When Dunhill entered the pipe business pipes were often sold in fitted cases and Dunhill pipes and pipe sets in leather, silk-lined, fitted cases soon became available and remained available until well after the war. The cases were available in a number of configurations, most commonly two pipe sets holding matching Bruyere and Shell pipes, three pipes 'day' sets, and seven pipes 'week' sets: For at least the first two decades multi-pipe cased Bruyere sets were also available wherein each pipe of the set was carved from the same briar block. In 1919 Dunhill designed a ventilated "Ventage" pipe case for which it obtained a patent in 1920 and used thereafter as it's the standard case with the patent reference imprinted on the front of the case near the clasp (US patent example). The Ventage vents are thin channels running from the top of the indented pipe forms to the edges of the case so as to allow the lingering pipe smoke and aroma to vent when the case is closed.
The traditional Dunhill leather pipe case offered until fairly recent years can in and of itself be generally dated. This is often useful especially in determining whether the pipes of a cased set found today are consistent with the case. Until 1919/1920 the indented pipe forms at the bottom of the case do not have a 'vents' running from the bowl top to the outside edge of the case and the imprinting on the interior silk lining of the case top does not include a Royal Warrant. For the next few years, one will find the new 'Ventage' vents but no Royal Warrant imprinted on this silk inner top. In 1921 Dunhill received it's first English Royal Warrant and from that point, the silk inner top always bore and can be generally dated from that Warrant." See more about Royal Warrant here. The Dunhill Briar Pipe [90]

About Production

The pipe hard carcasses /cases are pre-made, so when selecting pipes we make sure that for each pipe chosen, the overall length of the pipe and the depth of the bowl is suitable to fit into the available space. Usually, we have no problem fitting most standard length group 3 or group 4 pipes into this case (that is why we made this carcass to that size when we developed it).
After having selected the pipes, we make a bespoke insert with individual cut-outs so that every single pipe, no matter what shape, gets a perfect and snug fit.
The White Spot Division.[29]

::

In the following images (originally published in the United States Tobacco Journal, the most important in the tobacco industry) we have the Set which was presented by Alfred to the 29th president of the United States in 1921[91]. Warren G. Harding was editor and owner of an important newspaper in Ohio, "the Marion Star ", as well as a member of the Senate before occupying the position of President.

Next, a survivor Set from 1925. It's a set of 3 pieces with a case, cut from a single briar block. Shapes: Billiard 60; Billiard 35; Dublin 42. "A" Series (Bruyère, introduced in 1910) it was the best-quality line. On one side of the shank, its stamped "Dunhill London", on the other: "Inner Tube" Pat. No. 5861/12 (this patent was used between 1913 and 1926) 5 [1925]. On the stem: Reg. N°: 654638 and in the case: Pat. N°: 141486/19.



Note: Prior to the war the bottom of the Dunhill black vulcanite bit had a "REG. No 654638" stamped (without color) on the underside of the bit near the meeting point with the shank. Due to the lack of information, it is not possible to determine what this number refers to[92].

About Shapes

© Alfred Dunhill Ltd.

A sample of a 1930 Dunhill catalog of pipes. Written in 6 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Dutch, and Italian):

Among Alfred Dunhill's greatest contributions to pipe making is classic shaping. For those who appreciate traditional shapes in their most traditional forms, Dunhill's famous White Spot pipes are the gold standard, and rightfully so. For a true Billiard shape, look to the White Spot. For a Lovat, Lumberman, Canadian, Dublin, or virtually any traditional shape, look to the White Spot for correct and accepted proportions, curves, tapers, transitions, rims, and every other element of a shape that can be easily rendered into something else if even one detail is miscalculated. Chuck Stanion[93].

LBs © Hải Âu Trần

Currently 35 shapes. Occasionally a piece of briar is just asking to be carved into a different shape:

  • Here we can see a little bit about them: Dunhill Shapes
  • If you want to see the finishes, click here
  • If you want to see catalogs, click here

The system of codes and acronyms was introduced in the early 1920s and remains to this day, however, modifications have occurred over time. We had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Hener, who is the product line director of The White Spot division (the Dunhill pipe part of the company), who kindly clarified some issues.

About Dunhill in France

1937 - Rue de la Paix
Today

Dunhill had to diversify its offerings in order to enter the market in France due to a monopoly in the French tobacco industry. Alfred circumvented this challenge very cleverly, by diversifying his offerings (something that was previously practiced back with Dunhill's Motorities). Because the tobacco market was restricted, Dunhill positioned its tobacco offerings in the background of its advertising, while featuring male accessories in the foreground (valise, umbrellas, suits, etc)[94]. Thus begins the new phase of Dunhill accessories, and its success entering the tobacco market in France. The shop is situated at 15 Rue de la Paix - a fashionable shopping street in the center of Paris. Located in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, running north from Place Vendôme and ending at the Opéra Garnier, it is best known for its jewelers, such as the shop opened by Cartier in 1898[95]. Some French Flyers:

This meant that the new showroom in the rue de la Paix was obliged to specialise in alternative merchandise such as luxury leather goods, docks and watches, bronzes and in cigarette boxes and cases finished in lapis and jade and, thanks to the enterprise of someone who went to the Far East to acquire the rights, in the lacquer work of Japanese craftsmen. High-quality merchandise of this kind, which sold most successfully in the rue de la Paix, was later taken up in London and New York. Mary Dunhill[94].

  • Note: From November 1918 through 1939, if a pipe was intended for export to France, the first (or only) line was stamped FABRICATION ANGLAIS. If a pipe was intended for export other then to France or if a pipe was not fitted with an inner tube, the first (or only) line was stamped "MADE IN ENGLAND". The FABRICATION ANGLAIS stamping was retired with World War II and thereafter all pipes including those exported to France were stamped MADE IN ENGLAND.[96].
Dunhill Paris W.1048.JPG


Note+: DUNHILL PARIS. During World War II Dunhill London was unable to supply the Paris retail shop. As a consequence it appears that the Paris shop sourced pipes during those war years from French carvers, stamping the bit with a "D" inside a diamond (very much like the Parker bit stamp which is a "P" within a diamond)[97].

About World War

Esquire Ad - WWII, 1944.

On 17 April 1941, during the infamous Luftwaffe Blitz bombing of London, the Alfred Dunhill store (and many others in the surrounding area) were bombed and almost totally destroyed. The restoration was not fully completed until 1953. A popular piece of lore from that period is that Dunhill employees called Sir. Winston Churchill at 4:00 a.m. to ensure him that his private collection of cigars (Dunhill Cigars) housed in the store's humidifier had been transferred safely out of danger[98]

The Second World War was a difficult time. The rationing that the war promoted was so draconian that Dunhill suffered from the scarcity of raw material until the beginning of the 50 years in the post-war period.
According to John Loring, few pipes (and mostly uninteresting) were produced by Dunhill during the 1940s. Italian Briar for smooth pipes was extremely scarce, and Algerian Briar (used in sandblasts) was just slightly more available. Likewise, vulcanite for stems was either rationed or forbidden, so that many, if not most of the pipes produced during the war were equipped with horn stems[99].

  • See more about this phase (including pipes stamps) here: WWII Phase
Dunhill Catalog (The Great War -1914)




"Dunhill's Campaign Pipes are made from good bowls, which nevertheless are not that premier selection reserved for Dunhill's more expensive qualities. In finish, appearance and smoking qualities they are much superior to the ordinary low priced Pipes."

About Pipe Tobacco

The Daily Puffer [22]


When Alfred Dunhill opened his shop on Duke Street in 1907 it was a tobacco shop. He was a tobacconist, or as he put it in his first catalog a “Mixture Specialist”, prominently displaying a sign in his shop window reading: “Tobacco Specialist”. But first and foremost Alfred Dunhill was a marketer and when he opened his tobacco shop he knew exactly where he wanted to go. In short order, however, he recognized that he had set his sights too low, this is a part of that story[35].

A Brief Timeline
Pre-Transition:

Initially, Dunhill sold a wide variety of pre-tinned and vacuum-packed tobacco made by any number of manufacturers. Alfred obtained tobaccos for his mixtures (have been carefully recorded in his My Mixture guide since 1907) from George Dobie & Son of Paisley (a manufacturer of blends located in Paisley, west of the Midland Valley in Scotland) and the Tobacco Supply Syndicate (cooperatives).[35][100]

The #965 mixture was introduced in the mid-'10s (and continues in production until nowadays). In 1912 Alfred Dunhill introduced his first pre-packaged ‘name’ blends: “Royal Yacht”, “Cuba” and “Durbar” (while the blends tailored acted in the background). Two additional pre-tinned blends were introduced during World War I, “Ye Olde Signe” in 1915 and an Oriental, “Harmony” in 1917.

For all times of the day.

“Standard Mixture” (in all three mild, medium and full), “Prince of Wales”, “Three Year Matured” and "Super" were introduced in the early '20s. “London Mixture” was introduced in '28, “Throgmorton”, “Old Colonial” and “Twist” (referred to as “Negro Head Twist” two years later) in '36. In the late '30s, Dunhill introduced “Baby’s Bottom”, “Savory’s Mixture” and “Baby’s Bottom”. In the early '40s “American Mixture” was introduced (was never marketed outside the US). “Harmony”, “Throgmorton” “Twist”/“Negro Head Twist”, “Old Colonial” and “Super” were discontinued between the end of the '40s and the beginning of the '50s. In 1951 “Aperitif”, “Early Morning Pipe” and “Nightcap” were introduced. In the late 1950s “Flake” (later known as “Light Flake”), “Negrohead” and “Shell” were introduced. In the early '60s “Rough Cut Virginia” (like “Negrohead” and “Shell” was offered for only a few years) and “My Lady’s Dunhill Mixture” were introduced. Also in the '60s “Prince of Wales”, “Savory’s Mixture” “Three Year Matured” and “Cuba” were discontinued. Late '60a to the beginning of '70s “Mr Alfred’s Own”, “Aromatic”, “Baby’s Bottom Virginia”, “Baby’s Bottom Flake” and “Dark Flake”, “Elizabethan”, “Golden Hours” and “Virginia Ready Rubbed” were introduced.

In the 80's “American Mixture”, “Aperitif”, all of Baby’s Bottom mixtures, “Dark Flake”, “Durbar” (aka “1066”), “Mr Alfred’s Own” and “Ye Olde Signe” were discontinued. All these blends were produced in-house.[35][37].

  • First Transition:

On 9 January of 1981, the tobacco manufacturing section was moved to Murray Sons & Company Ltd in Northern Ireland (throughout its trading life, Murray manufactured various brands of tobacco products including pipe tobacco Craven, Erinmore, Yachtsman Navy Cut cigarettes etc) and Alfred Dunhill’s investment in Dunhill Tobacco Ltd was sold on to Rothmans International Limited (who owned Murray), for a profit of £500,000. The only exception to the Murray transition was the My Mixture blends (other than 965). Available only from the London Duke Street shop.[35][101].

  • Second Transition:

In June 1999, Rothmans International was acquired by British American Tobacco. In 2004, The BAT announced the closure of Murray, Sons and Company Ltd in 2005. The tobacco manufacturing was at Murray up to 2005, then was moved to Denmark and the blends were licensed to Orlik and STG.[35].

  • The Final Chapter:

In 2005 Dunhill suspends the sale of tobacco-related products in its shops.
In 2018 Dunhill announced that it would no longer sell or market cigars and pipe tobaccos[102].
In 2019 STG acquires the rights to reintroduces the old Dunhill blends under the Peterson brand umbrella, STG-Lane Ltd[103].



Addendum: As Arno van Goor reports in his article, "De Graaff tobacconist" (published in 2018), at some point, Dunhill also made blends for others. In The Netherlands was a tobacconist named "De Graaf". They had excellent house-blends but were discontinued at the end of the 1990s, early 2000s. These De Graaf mixtures were produced by Dunhill at the Dunhill Duke Street shop. (After the first transition, Dunhill Duke Street shop continued to offer custom blending for the next two decades and as part of that continuation, a small batch blender in London continued to produce a number of My Mixture blends, available only from the Duke Street shop).[104]
Addendum+: In 1953, Carreras acquired the assets of R & J Hill Limited of London and the entire share capital of Murray, Sons & Company Limited of Belfast who was manufacturing a fine range of popular pipe tobaccos, including Erinmore Mixture and Erinmore Flake. In 1954 the Rembrandt Tobacco Company acquired a controlling interest in Rothmans. Rembrandt was expanding and in 1958 acquired Carreras (the Carreras company it was an independent company until November 1958, when it merged with Rembrandt). 1961 the business had expanded to the point where Carreras had acquired the Rothmans cigarette and tobacco business in Britain and some of its overseas markets. As a result of this deal, the biggest shareholder in the enlarged operation became Rothmans Tobacco (Holdings).[105] The Carreras Group acquired 50% of Dunhill's capital in 1967[79]. Carreras Rothmans Ltd was formed in 1972 when Carreras Limited was used as the vehicle for the merger of various European tobacco interests to form Rothmans International. In 1988, the Rembrandt group founded the Swiss luxury goods company, Richemont, which in turn acquired Rembrandt's shares in Rothmans.

About Curiosities

Royal Warrant
Prince of Wales
A table in the Duke of Windsor’s study. Government House, Nassau, Bahamas, February 1941. By Harold Haliday Costain.
Duke of Windsor’s Dunhill Pipes[106]
Royal Warrant & Prince Pipe Shape

In 1921, only fourteen years after Alfred Dunhill opened his doors, his firm received its first Royal Warrant, as Tobacconist to Edward, Prince of Wales. To mark the happy and commercially valuable event, Alfred commissioned a new Shell Briar pipe shape, shape 314: it had an apple-shaped bowl and a slightly curved stem. Naturally, he named it the 'Prince'[49].

About Smoke

The Royal Warrant Holders Association was formed in 1840. Its main objective is to ensure the continued existence of the Royal Warrant as a treasured and respected institution. A Royal Warrant of Appointment is a mark of recognition of those who have supplied goods or services to the Households of HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales for at least five years, and who have an ongoing trading arrangement. The Royal Warrant Holders Association.

"Dunhill's most important early customer was Edward, Prince of Wales and Dunhill maintained a 'Royal Drawer' in the Duke Street shop in order to have the Prince's usual requisites always at hand. In 1921 Edward gave Dunhill it's first English Royal Warrant and Dunhill proudly displayed the same on it's "About Smoke" catalogues and numerous pipe related accessories and packaging until 1936, when after briefly ascending the throne, Edward abdicated. Edward continued to be a life long customer but following abdication dealt with the Paris and New York shops.

In honor of the 1921 Royal Warrant and with the Prince's permission, Dunhill designed and named a pipe in his honor, the 'Prince' (shape 314, a squat apple with a slightly bent, thin shank). It also blended a new pre-packaged tobacco blend in his honor, the 'Prince of Wales'. Additionally at Edward's request, Dunhill carved a special 'Ol)' pipe for him in the shape of his profile and with a triangular shank. While both the Prince pipe and the Prince of Wales blend proved quite popular, particularly with Americans, Edward himself, at least in the 1920s, preferred the number 302 pipe shape because it accommodated the Dunhill pipe tobacco cartridge." The Dunhill Briar Pipere[48].

No doubt the Royal Patronage, first granted in 1921 largely through the custom of Edward, Prince of Wales, a keen pipe smoker, caught their attention just as it attracted members of other royal families. Actors, politicians, writers, lawyers - members of just about every profession were becoming regular customers. Mary Dunhill [47]

  • Note: Dunhill received it's first English Royal Warrant from Edward, Prince of Wales in 1921. Thereafter into the 1990s, a Royal Warrant has frequently been displayed in connection with pipes and pipe accessories (most notably pipe cases and tobacco tins) and can often be a useful dating tool[107].
Addendum: The four badly abused Dunhills and the pipe rack (dated by Sotheby’s to the mid-1950s) were Duke of Windsor’s Pipes. Lot 3248 (estimate $400-600) was among the very last lots offered in Session Sixteen of the sale held here in New York on the afternoon of 18 September 1997 and fetched an impressive $4887 (rather a bargain in comparison with the next lot—a locking, four-drawer "cigar humidor” with much the same estimate that sold for $31,000)[106]

.

About Additional Stamps

Pat-Stamp.jpeg


One of the many points that arouses curiosity, namely, the various nomenclature used through the time. Throughout the history of the brand many products have been launched and, with this, new stamps. Some remain inexplicable, staying only in the field of speculation. Others, however, bring to light valuable information. As a rule, they served for internal control of production, storage and handling, also assisting retailers. Here, we'll see some interesting and singular examples.


About Rarities


A Rare Dunhill Volcano
DunhillDR3FlameRightTop.jpg

It is a highly unusual shape for a Dunhill, of course. It is graded 3 Amber Flames. This was one of 4 prototypes made for a set of pipes that were made for the Dunhill Jules Verne Journey to the Center of the Earth 3 pipe cased set that reportedly sold for $96,000 in Paris in the early 2000s. One of the 3 pipes was an extra-large volcano similar to my pipe you see here. In other words, my pipe was one of the “loser" pipes. In the Dunhill volcano pipe that was finally chosen for the set, 24 karats gold “lava” was running down the sides of the bowl to represent lava erupting from the volcano (pipe) as in the novel. Fred J. Hanna.


About Special Series


The White Spot Eiffel Tower Pipe

On 15th March 2007, Kalmon S. Hener began to sketch a pipe based on the Eiffel Tower. This project has taken more than six years to complete. The Smokers Division of Alfred Dunhill Ltd., the London luxury-goods maker, set out to create a pipe that would embody elegant living, high art, and fine craftsmanship. Kalmon Hener, the brand’s product line director, designed a singular piece based on the Eiffel Tower, and like the structure itself, it is a marvel of intricacy and engineering. The project was completed in 2013, as Dunhill renamed its Smokers Division the White Spot [25].

With a bowl carved from a single piece of flawless briarwood and a tower hand-cut from sheets of 18-karat gold and embellished with 492 diamonds, 140 sapphires, 20 rubies, and a cornflower-blue 3.75-carat Sri Lankan sapphire. A cabinet decorated with an inlaid image of workers building the Eiffel Tower holds the pipe and five rare books about the Paris landmark, including volumes commissioned by Gustave Eiffel in 1900. The entire piece is valued at $3.5 million. “This is not a pipe,” Hener says, unintentionally alluding to René Magritte’s surrealist painting The Treachery of Images. “It is a symbol.” By Richard Carleton - Robb Report, on November 1, 2013 [26]

Eiffel Tower Pipe Official Movie


  • Note: The first pipe stamped with “Alfred Dunhill's THE WHITE SPOT” (instead of the Dunhill longtail logo in an elliptical circle) was the now-famous Eiffel Tower pipe (with the 3 lines all horizontal and parallel). For subsequent pipes, we made a new stamp, whereby “Alfred” and “Dunhill's” are arched and the “THE WHITE SPOT” stayed straight for other pipes. This stamp is in continuous use since March 2012. Hener, K. S., Product Line Director - The White Spot Smoker's Accessory Division and Walthamstow site.


About Christmas Pipe


Christmas Pipe 2006

It was in 1980 that the first commemorative Dunhill Christmas pipe appeared. Throughout the '80s, own them were a point of honor for collectors. They were available in a few hundred pieces and the supply did not meet the demand; few distributors could have one available to their customers. Since 1982 the pipes have been accompanied by a leather box in the shape of a book. Until 1992 each pipe was exclusively dedicated to Christmas of the year. From 1993 edition, the pipes were further included in a 12-year series, dedicated to fairy tales of the English tradition and accompanied by a silver tamper (that echoes the theme of the fairy tale), as well as by the certificate and leather box (...). The series has gone through many phases and continues in production.

"Beginning in the 1970's Dunhill has occasionally released limited edition pipes most often with special metal, although not always precious metal, trim and since 1983 often presented in a leather-bound 'book' case. Perhaps most well known of these limited editions is Dunhill's annual Christmas Pipe begun in 1981." The Dunhill Briar Pipe.[108]

Finishes

Dead Root

Straight Grain
Flame Grain

Then there are the straight grain designations, perhaps the ne plus ultra of pipe collecting. With Alfred Dunhill, this category takes on a whole new aura of exclusivity. The rarest straight grains are stamped DR (which stands for “Dead Root,” referring to the underground burl of the heath tree from which the oldest and usually best-figured briar is cut). Currently, the DR series ranges from one to six stars; the more stars, the tighter and more uniform the grain. Beyond that, the DR designation ventures into the stratosphere of a rarity with alphabetical letters, starting with DRG, and the even scarcer DRH. Richard Carleton Hacker - SMOKE - Spring 2002

The Dead Root idea was conceived at the end of the 1920s and then realized in the early 1930 years. The Dead-Root brought a stronger grain feature to the already well established "Bruyère" (from 1932 on it received the same finish). The D.R. models are perfect. Made with the best Briar available and that is – compulsorily – "Straight Grain". They are rare models of considerable value, which vary according to the graduation of the grain.

In 2000, a new D.R. series was launched with amber contrast finish and stronger grains, called "Amber Flame". It's also a limited edition and they follow the same criteria but classified with "flames" instead of stars. Like his brother, only the best grains are selected to make the Amber Flame which is finished with an amber-colored stain and a black vulcanite mouthpiece.

Bruyere

Bruyère

The original finish produced (usually made using Calabrian briar), and a big part of developing and marketing the brand. It was the only finish from 1910 until 1917. A dark reddish-brown stain. Before the 1950s, there were three possible finishes for Dunhill pipes. The Bruyere was a smooth finish with a deep red stain, obtained through two coats, a brown understain followed by a deep red.



Shell

Shell
Ring Grain

A deep craggy sandblast with a black stain finish (usually made using Algerian briar) - the color of the stain used has varied over the years. Although there is some doubt as to them being the first to sandblast pipes, Dunhill's Shell pipes, and the sandblasting techniques developed to create them are considered one of Dunhill's greatest and most lasting contributions to the art of pipe making.

The documented history of Dunhill's inception of the Shell is largely limited to patent applications — there are no catalog pages or advertisements promoting blasted pipes at the time. The preliminary work on the English patent (No. 1484/17) was submitted on October 13, 1917. The patent submission was completed half a year later, on April 12, 1918, followed by the granting of the English patent on October 14, 1918. This was less than a month before the end of The Great War on November 11th.

In 1986 Dunhill released a line of premium Shell finish pipes - "RING GRAIN". These are high-quality straight grain pipes which are sandblasted. Initially only Ring Grain, but now in two different finishes. In 1995 the "Shilling" was introduced with Cumberland finish - it is an extremely rare series. These pipes exhibit a deeper blast characteristic of that of the 1930's - mid-1960's (and the limited 'deep blast' pipes of the early 1980s) and show a fine graining pattern. These are considered the best new Dunhills by many enthusiasts today and are very rare. The finish is sometimes described as tasting like vanilla at first, with the taste becoming more normal or good as the pipe breaks in.

Root Briar

Root Briar

Introduced in 1931 and highly prized because the grain is more pronounced in this finish (usually made using Corsican briar - was made exclusively from that briar into the 60s). The Root Briar finish requires a perfectly clean bowl with excellent graining. Therefore, it is the most expensive of the Dunhill pipes. Corsican briar was most often used for the Root finish since it was generally more finely grained. This is a rare finish, due to the scarcity of briar suitable to achieve it. These pipes are normally only available at Company stores, or at Principle Pipe Dealers. Straight grained pipes were formerly graded A through H, but are now only "Dr's" and graded with one to six stars, with the letters G and H still used for the very finest pieces.

Dunhill introduced its third major finish, the Root finish, in 1931. Corsican mountain briar is characteristically beautifully grained and the Root was made exclusively from that briar into the 1960s. The pipe was finished with a light natural stain to allow the beauty of the graining to show through. Although always available with a traditional black vulcanite bit, the Root was introduced in either 1930 or more likely 1931 and fitted with a marble brown dark and light grained vulcanite bit that has since become known as the 'bowling ball' bit because of the similarity in appearance between the bit's finish and that of some bowling balls of the time. With the war, however, the bowling ball bit was dropped from production. Through 1954 (and after) the Root pipe nomenclature (including shape numbers) was identical to that of the Bruyere except that instead of the "A" of the Bruyere, the Root was stamped with an "R". In 1952 when the finish rather then LONDON was placed under DUNHILL, ROOT BRIAR rather then BRUYERE was used for the Root. Loring, J. C., The Dunhill Briar Pipe, The Patent Years and After (self-published, Chicago, 1998).

Tanshell

Tanshell

The first lot was distributed in 1952 (usually made using Sardinian briar). The prototype was called "Root Shell ", produced in 1951. The Tanshell is a light tan sandblast. Sardinian briar was used for this sandblast. There is a distinct contrast in the sandblasts using Sardinian as opposed to Algerian briar. The Sardinian is much denser and much harder. The resulting pattern, when blasted, is far more even and regular both in terms of the surface texture and the finish.

The TanShell was Dunhill's fourth finish and its first major post-war line addition. Introduced in 1951/1952 the TanShell was a naturally stained sandblasted pipe made exclusively from Sardinian briar through the 1960s. The TanShell apparently was not simply a light stained Shell but rather was also the product of "certain processes [unrevealed] not previously employed." Initially, it appears that the pipe was to be named the Root Shell and a stamp to that effect was ordered and received by Dunhill in May 1951. Ultimately, however, the name TanShell was settled upon but the stamp for the TanShell name was not received by Dunhill until the beginning of December. Thus while the Tanshell was in production in 1951 it appears that most if not all TanShells made in that year did not enter into retail distribution until 1952 and were given a 1952 date code. Loring, J. C., The Dunhill Briar Pipe, The Patent Years and After (self-published, Chicago, 1998).

Red Bark & Ruby Bark

Redbark

Red Bark: Introduced in 1972, the Red Bark is a reddish stained sandblast, and is the most famous of Dunhill’s retired finishes. Originally, the stain was a medium red. A couple of years later the stain was changed to a brighter red, almost pinkish in colour. The almost pink colour caused pipe sales to plummet. In 1976, the stain was changed back to the original darker medium red finish. The Red Bark finish was officially retired in 1987. The County and Russet finishes have also been retired.


Rubybark

Ruby Bark: The Ruby Bark pipe is stained with a deep red colour to enhance the sandblasted finish. The finish disappeared, but was re-introduced a few years ago and is now one of the most popular finishes. Each pipe is adorned with a silver 6mm band for which there is no extra charge. The mouthpieces are a hand-cut black vulcanite stem.

Black Briar & Dress

Black Briar or Dress

Black Briar is a smooth dark finish with vein contrasted in black introduced in 1973 and renamed the DRESS in 1979.

Dress - introduced in 1979. The Dress is a black smooth finish designed to look elegant with a tux or other formal ware - refined and sophisticated. A smooth jet-black stain with a silver band and a black mouthpiece that give to this line of pipes the distinctive elegance that has come to be associated with the Dunhill name.

Cumberland

Cumberland

Introduced in 1979. Cumberland is another sandblast with a brown stain and a brindle stem (the material is more commonly called ‘Cumberland’ these days, thanks to Dunhill’s influence and the success of the finish over the past quarter-century). Originally, the Cumberland always featured a smooth brown rim, but in the current production the rim is sometimes smooth, sometimes sandblasted. Occasionally, a straight grain blast is finished with a Cumberland stain and a “Shilling Grain,” similar to the “Ring Grain,” resulting in a new variation on the traditional sandblast. The Shilling series is named for the British coin: the sandblast looks like a stack of shillings. Named after the warehouse on Cumberland Road. The old pipes that inspired this finish were found there.

Chestnut

Chestnut

A rich, deep walnut colour complemented by the Cumberland mouthpiece – it was introduced in 1983 to commemorate the closing of the Cumberland Road warehouse. The same stain and stem material as used on the Cumberland, but on a smooth bowl. Like the Bruyere, the finish is smooth to the feel and will lighten in time to show off the grain, which is usually cross-grain top and bottom with birds-eye on the sides of the bowl. Irrespective of shape, size or finish, all Dunhill pipes are of one quality only – the finest.

Note: Always had the Cumberland mouthpieces fitted. Sometimes, a black mouthpiece it is possible, however, that this was a special request or that it was a replacement mouthpiece.[29]

County

County

A tan sandblast with a Cumberland mouthpiece. Introduced in 1986, but it has been discontinued at the end of 1988. A limited reissue of 150 pieces was made available in 2006. After that, the production has been resumed, it's available now. Many enthusiasts find the County to be an excellent smoking finish

Russet

Russet

Having been introduced in December of 1988 and retired sometime in 2000. A medium reddish-brown stain and smooth finish that has since been retired.

"The Russet finish was introduced in the year 1988 and, according to our files, we used the Russet stamp last time in the year 2000. The Russet finish was discontinued as it was commercially not as successful as other finishes that existed at the time, so it was decided to be rationalized. Kalmon S. Hener. Product Line Director - The White Spot Smoker's Accessory Division and Walthamstow site."


Amber Root

Amber Root

Introduced in 1995. A warm yellow-orange stain, reminiscent of the original Root Briar finish. Cumberland stems were used, although recently, Amber Root pipes have appeared with black stems. This is also a limited production pipe that is found in mainly Company stores and Principle Pipe Dealers. Straight grained pipes are made available in this finish under the name Amber-flame and are graded from one to three flames.

Note: While the Amber Root finish existed in the past with Cumberland and black Vulcanite mouthpieces (now we use usually the black Vulcanite variety only)[29].

Period Guide (1910 - 2014)


1995 - (oval) dunhill ('long tail' in an oval).
2012 - New phase: "Alfred Dunhill's - The White Spot".
Standard
Selection
Finish
Date
Bruyere 1910 - Present
DR/DRR 1910 - 1930/1931 - Present
Shell 1917/1918 - Present
Root 1930/1931 - Present
Tanshell 1952 - Present
Redbark / Rubybark 1972/73 - 1987 Becomes Ruby - Present
Collector 1978 - Present
Richard Dunhill 1979 - Present
Black / Dress 1973-1978 / 1979 - Present
Cumberland 1979 - Present
Chestnut 1982 - Present
County 1986-1988 / 2006 - Present
Ring Grain / Shilling 1986-1994 / 1995 - Present
Russet 1988 - 2000 (discontinued).
Amber Root 1995 - Present
Amber Flame 2000 - Present


  • Note: Table taken from Loring's book with minor changes.
    Loring, J. C., The Dunhill Briar Pipe, The Patent Years and After (self-published, Chicago, 1998). Used by permission.

Some Others

Collector
004-002-8088.jpeg

In 1978 the Collector series was introduced. A free-hand pipe using the plateau in different finishes.

A line of well grained, almost "DR" quality 'root' finished pipes stamped "Collector". The pipes in this series are generally larger and usually much larger than the typical "DR". They are often found in non-traditional 'Danish' style shapes and even when the shape is mostly traditional there is frequently a non-traditional touch. Larger Collectors are sometimes stamped XL. Loring, J. C., The Dunhill Briar Pipe, The Patent Years and After (self-published, Chicago, 1998).



Gourd Calabash
800px.jpg

Dunhill manufactured a Gourd Calabash starting in the 1970s and up to the late 1990s.

"We made Gourd Calabash pipes from the 1970s up to late 1990s. As we could in the last years not obtain suitable Gourds in the quality required, we have not made them since. The White Spot Division."[29]



Meerschaum
004-002-11085.jpg

Apparently, Dunhill made Meerschaum pipes in the late 1960s. Richard Esserman reports the NYC Dunhill store carried them (as we will see ahead, they were already manufactured in 1933).

Aspas-copy.pngIn the past we could obtain the raw material from Turkey. Nowadays, the Turkish government banned the export of Meerschaum as raw material and only allows export of finished goods; that is why we stopped using this material and currently do not manufacture Meerschaum pipes.Aspas.png The White Spot Division.[29]

Meerschaum Lining

Dunhill-linedmeerschaum.jpeg

A meerschaum lining pipe combines the smoking qualities of meerschaum, like a cool smoke and neutrality in taste, with the look, feel and durability of wood. It's an extremely rare pipe — difficult to see it around (especially those of the '60s)... Many didn't even know of the existence, for others, it was a myth. Since the Turkish government banned the export of Meerschaum, it is difficult to produce them. We have found a few from the '60s, '80s, '90s and early 2000.

Note: There is an earlier reference about this model and other Meers in a 1933 catalog, as Mr. Hener explain here:

Catalogue
Aspas-copy.pngI found a much earlier reference in our catalogue from 1933 (left). Please see on page 8 the two pipes marked 5 and 6, which are Bruyere pipe with Meerschaum tops (& possibly lining) fitted with Amber mouthpieces. I believe we made Meerschaum linings until about 1980 and Meesrchaum “Calabash” inserts until about 10 years ago.Aspas.png The White Spot Division.[29]


Note: There are rumors about Meer be compressed because of the size. We've been talking to some Meer carvers, Mr. Sadik Yanik and Adem (from Calabash Pipes World). Both confirmed that it is possible and practicable to make them from a Meer block. Mr. Hener (from the White Spot) also confirmed and said: "As far as I know, we only used Block-meerschaum and not reconstituted.

Gadget Pipes

LRM driway.jpeg
The Dri-Way

"In some of its catalogs in the sixties and seventies, Dunhill did some promoting of the "DriWay". Essentially its an embedded clay filter that was referred to as "Kaoloid". The DriWay was only utilized in the Shell Briar series. If you collect Dunhill "Gadget" pipes, this would be a great novelty to consider. It's amazing that the briar cap screws off and the ceramic filter is in fine shape.



Reaming Tool.
Reaming & Airstream
1820391231429099.jpeg

A pipe with a reaming device for removing excess carbon (Patent Nº 17077/38). That operated through the bottom of the bowl (one of which pipes belonged to King George VI) was known as the "M.C". When the pipe was smoked, the circular saw-toothed 'reamer' disc rested on the inside bottom of the bowl and the thin handle (still attached to the disc) folded back and rested underneath the shank[109].

Sir Malcolm Campbell.
Aspas-copy.pngThis pipe has been invented by Sir Malcolm Campbell, M.B.E. the world-famous motorist, to meet two difficulties frequently experienced by the pipe smoker — the complete emptying of the pipe without fear of damage and the preservation of a uniform film of carbon inside the bowl. The disc is pushed through the bowl with a rotary motion removing in one action the ashes and the surplus carbon. The result is an eminently dry and cool-smoking pipe.Aspas.png Nick Foulkes [110]


Dunhill-airstream-smoking-pipe.jpg

The "carburetor" pipe which had a small mushroom-shaped metal device fixed at the bottom of the inside of the bowl to act as a heat sink (later named "Airstream").

Note: The reaming device is adjusted (threading) by a tool specially developed for this function (as illustrated in the image on the right). The Airstream cannot be adjusted. The first Airstream devices appeared (according to Loring) in the 30s[109] and possibly applied up to the end of the 70s. The Reaming Device was, apparently, only used in the 30s.


Pipedia Dunhill Dating Guide

nolines

Dunhill is the only factory-made pipe that can be accurately dated. This contributes to its popularity with collectors, but it can be difficult to accurately date any given pipe that's why we develop a more comprehensive and intuitive dating guide. Based on Loring's book and R. D. Field's guide - its a combination of them and other information we acquired through the time. We hope this guide helps both, enthusiasts and beginners.

Pipedia Dunhill Dating Guide

Dunhill Patents - Archives


Vernon Fitment
Vernon Fitment
  • Alfred Dunhill - Windshield Pipe (1904). Pat. No. App 25261;
  • Vernon Dunhill - Vernon Fitment (1932). US. Pat. No. 1861910
    (British record as 10225/31 on 7 April '31. Applied right after with provisional patent protection,
    (Prov. Prot.) N°:10225/31 and granted with final Nº: 363582 on 24 December 1931).
    Canadian record as 325090 applied on August 16, 1932
    ;
  • Alfred Dunhill - Inner Tube, CA (1914). Patented 1914 or 158709 [27];
  • Alfred Dunhill - Inner Tube w Flange, CA (1920). Pat. No. 197365 [28];
  • Alfred Dunhill - Tobacco Pipe, Cigar Holder and The Like (1920). Pat. No. 1343253;
  • Alfred Dunhill - Tobacco Pipe (1915). "Patented Mar. 9, 1915." No. 1130806;
  • Alfred Dunhill - Tobacco Pipe (1920). Pat. No. 1341418;
  • Alfred Dunhill - Advertising Device (1906). Pat. No. 812191;
  • Alfred Dunhill - Apparatus for Seasoning and Finishing Tobacco Pipes (1921). Pat. No. 1383193;
  • Alfred Dunhill - Tobacco Pipe (1923). Pat. No. 1463684;
  • Alfred Dunhill - Means for Charging Smoking Pipes (1924). Pat. No. 1490808;
  • Alfred Dunhill - Case for Pipes and for Cigars and Cigarettes Holders (1924). Pat. No. 1503354.

Dunhill Articles & Catalogs

Recent Catalogs
  • The White Spot - Product News, Autumn / Winter 2005/6 here.
  • The White Spot - Product News, July 2017 (2017-1) here.
  • The White Spot - Product News, February 2020 (2020-1) here.
  • The White Spot - Product News, November 2020 (2020-2) here.
Somewhere in Time
  • Some catalogs filled with great pictures of pipes, cigars (Dunhill Cigars), humidors, lighters, cigarette holders, clocks, and other accessories.
Screen Shot 2563-01-30 at 16.13.07.png B24919512 page-0001.jpg File:00.jpg 59dh1.jpg
About Smoke 1927 About Smoke Catalog 30s (Probably). Dunhill Catalog 1951 Dunhill Catalog 1959'
Dunhill Catalogue 1966-67 page-0001.jpg 65dh1.jpg Dunhill Catalogue 1969-70 page-0001.jpg Dunhillcatagmix.jpeg
Dunhill Catalog 1967 Dunhill Catalog 1969 Dunhill Catalog 1970 Dunhill Catalogs - Mix


A Tale of Two Briars

Dunhills - by TrungDzu.

Abstract: R.D. Fields writes, "As a pipe collector, a pipe hobbyist, and as a Dunhill principal pipe dealer, I hear comments over and over again about the comparative merits of the older pipes versus the newer models. Most discussion centers on the quality of the briar and the sweetness of the smoke. I hear comments such as "I love my old Dunhill pipes, but these new ones... I don't know."

People I consider to be very knowledgeable on the subject of 20th Century briar swear that, by far, the sweetest smoke comes from those Dunhill pipes bearing a patent number (pre-1955); they will not even smoke those made after 1968, believed to be of substandard quality.

The used pipe trade has followed the same trend - patent number Dunhills are commanding a higher price than those made from 1955-1968, and a still higher price than those made after 1968.

Due to the mystique surrounding the older Dunhill pipe, there is, indeed, a need to explore any factual basis behind the "myth". This, reader, is the purpose of this article." Read A Tale of Two Briars, by R.D. Fields. The Art of Sandblasting is another excellent R.D. Fields article on what may very well be Alfred Dunhill's greatest contribution to the world of pipes.

Loring's Articles

© John C. Loring.

John C. Loring, now a "broken pipe", was a leading authority on Dunhill pipes. His excellent book, "The Dunhill Briar Pipe - the patent years and after", is an essential addition to any Dunhill collector's library. Sadly, John Loring's website is down. His son, Michael Loring had hoped to get the site back up, but that appears unlikely at this point. In addition to the Dunhill Briar Pipe, Loring wrote several important articles, which he had graciously allowed Pipedia to publish. Some made it here before his website disappeared. Very thankfully, several others were contributed by Jean-Christophe Bienfait, who has also translated them into French, and the rest have recently been added by Yang Forcióri, who also had all the photos. We think we have all of them here now. If you know of anything we're missing and have it, please add it here, or send it to sethile.pipes@gmail.com, and we can add it for you.


Lonring's Articles
© John C. Loring.
© John C. Loring.
© John C. Loring.
© John C. Loring.
© John C. Loring.

Miscellaneous



Dunhill letter-1.jpg







An Elegant Answer to a Customer. - Courtesy Carsten Andersen.
Mr. Ian McOmish, Dunhill’s archivist has long retired and is sadly not alive anymore. He was a very nice person and very knowledgeable.


Mbpc n.png







A Man Looking for a Dunhill Pipe.
The Manhattan Briar Pipe Co. was organized in October, 1902 by the American Tobacco Company, under an agreement with the owners of the Brunswick Briar Pipe Company, as a New York corporation. Its initial address was 111 5th Avenue, New York City, and the value of its stock in 1902 was $350,000.00. American Tobacco Company had itself been founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco companies, and was one of the original twelve members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896. It was commonly called the "Tobacco Trust". In 1922 Manhattan Briar was purchased by S.M. Frank and merged into that company[111].




Tobacco Brochure



Dunhills Around the World

Dunhill Collections


John C. Loring - Perhaps the greatest collection that ever existed. Remembering Loring's Pipe Collection

G.L. Pease has a nice collection of Dunhills: The Mystery of the White Spot - Pipes from Dunhill (on Pipedia). On Greg's Website

Foggymountain has a collection of 100, 21st century Dunhill smokers. He may be reached through pipesmagazine.com (Nov 2014)


Gallery


Derek Green Collection (now a "broken pipe")


A selection of "Smokers", Derek Green Collection


A selection of "Smokers" (pictured left)

Top Row

  1998 Amber Root 4
  1993 Shell 5108
  1984 Cumberland 3103
  1972 Bruyere 57
  Date Obscured. Shell Pat. Weak
Bottom Row
  1979 Red Bark 31031
  1999 Shell 4103
  1958 ES Tanshell
  No Date ES Shell Pat.No.1341418/20
  Date Obscured Bruyere EC 4A
  1957 Root 713





"More Smokers", Derek Green Collection

More "Smokers" (pictured right)

Top Row

  1963 Root 40
  1937 Root Pat.1343253/20 472
  1971 Bruyere EO 4A
  1988 Russet 5112 
Middle Row
  1990 Tanshell 4103
  1992 Shell 5124
  1956 Shell 252
  1964 Shell 6 LBS
  1979 Cumberland 41022
  1988 Russet 4114
Bottom Left
  Date? Root 48 4A




"More Smokers", Derek Green Collection
1990 Shell 5601 Church Warden
1964 Shell 519 Feather Bone
1935 Shell Feather Bone
1986 4107 Dress
1967 Shell Cavalier on left




Dunhill in Press


Thetelegraph.jpg Qpmag07cover.jpeg Dunhillmagcoverit.jpg Emailing Pipe-Tobaccos-10-4Fall.jpg ADmagcover.JPG Picture-301150-1523460835.png
Telegraph, 16 Aug 2003 here QP Magazine 805, 2007 here Magazine Partners, 1993 here Pipes & Tobaccos, fall 2010 here The worldwide Pipe
Smoker's Magazine,1997 (Vol.6)here
People, 1981 here


Newspapers



A Brief Timeline

The genesis of the family business: the Dunhill ancestors were small farmers and shopkeepers in Nottinghamshire, Thomas Dunhill, being the first to take a break from this part of the country. He left Newark-on-Trent early in the last century, at about the time of Waterloo, bringing his young bride to London where, in Oxford Street, on the site now occupied by Debenham's, he opened a draper's shop. He must have quickly realized that the vast number of horses in the London Streets offered him a better livelihood than the linen trade: possibly, from his country boyhood, horses were something he knew about. At any rate, he transferred his energies to building up a harness-making business in the Euston Road which, before a tablet in Islington Church commemorated his long years'enterprise, enable him to support a household of Victorian proportions, including seven sons and five daughters. This was the first Dunhill business of any consequence. Frederick Dunhill inherited it, passing it on to Henry Dunhill.

1861: Frederick Dunhill (1807-1876) was a sacking manufacturer; his youngest son (of 5), Henry (1842-1901) was a commercial clerk. In 1870 at Frederick's death, Henry was in business as a dealer in sacking and he added an extra dimension to his business by selling canvas tarpaulins and shop-blinds. He also later became a dealer in pianos and music. The sacking business was run from Euston Road, which also made, among other things, accessories for horse-drawn vehicles. And this is where Alfred Dunhill begins his historic journey:

1887: The third of Henry's son, Alfred, was apprenticed to his father's harness-making business.

1893: At the age of 21, Alfred Dunhill starts managing the business with his father.

1895: Alfred Dunhill married Alice Mary Stapleton.

1896: Alfred Henry Dunhill born; Locomotives on Highways Act passed.

1897: Henry Dunhill retired. Alfred Dunhill took over his father's business. A harness and motor accessory business opened at 145-147 Euston Road, London. Vernon Dunhill born.

1899: John ("Jack") Dunhill born.

1900: The Discount Motor Car Company (selling motor accessories by mail order) established at 145-147 Euston Road, and then expanded into 108 Euston Road, London.

1901: Henry, Alfred Dunhill's father, died. Motor Mart Employment Agency, which serviced and repaired motor cars then became "Motor Mart Ltd" - established at 108 Euston Road, London.

1902: In July, the first Dunhill's Motorities shop opened at 2 Conduit Street, London.

1902-6: Alfred Dunhill designed and built houses in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.

1903: Alfred Dunhill Ltd (the 'predecessor company') incorporated. Alfred Dunhill's first dashboard clock marks their entry into the timepiece arena

1904: Dunhill's Motorities shop opened at 5 Conduit Street. Head office, wholesale and export departments opened in new buildings at 359-361 Euston Road - London. Application for “Windshield Pipe” patent.

1905: Alfred Dunhill's Patent Development Company established at 8 Argyll Place, London. Dunhill's Motorities shops opened in Edinburgh, Manchester, within Hotel Cecil, London.

1906: Mary Dunhill born.

1907: First Dunhill tobacco shop opened (7 July or most likely, 9 or 10 September) on 31a Duke St. Late in the same year, My Mixture book was started.

1908: Dunhill's Motorities shop opened in Glasgow. Cigarette manufacturing by hand begins.

1909: Dunhill began an in-house pipe repair business.

1907-1910: Dunhill imported the bulk of his pipes from France. Unsatisfied with the quality of these, he also bought pipes from Charatan (1909/10) reportedly at exorbitant prices, to ensure he had some of the very best pipes for sale in England.

1910: First known Dunhill catalog produced; Alfred Dunhill enticed Joel Sasieni away from Charatan and opened a small pipe workshop of his own at 28 Duke St. -- two rooms upstairs providing the humble beginning. The focus was to use the finest quality briar, and expert craftsmanship to make pipes that would provide a superior smoke, and last a lifetime. The cost would reflect these principals, which was against the current trend of inexpensive pipes of lessor quality; the Bruyere finish is first introduced.

1912: Alfred Dunhill becomes Alfred Dunhill Ltd; Herbert Edward Dunhill (1884-1950) joined his brother in the business; The "White Spot" trademark first appeared on pipes. The famous white spot was introduced so customers would know which way to insert the handmade vulcanite mouthpieces on straight pipes (the spots face up). Pipe-making moved to Mason's Yard, London.

1913: Vernon Dunhill (father of Richard Dunhill) joined the business.

1914: First World War begins; Alfred Henry Dunhill leaves the business and joins the war effort.

1916: Shop address becomes 30 Duke Street; factory and offices purchased in Notting Hill Gate, London (the pipe-making operations are transferred there);

1917: Shell Briar pipe patented; Alfred Dunhill created his sandblasted pipe, and first introduced the "Shell" Finish. Dunhill developed the oil curing process at this time, which many feels contributes significantly to Dunhill's excellent smoking qualities.

1918: Alfred Henry Dunhill won the Military Cross (MC at Frégicourt 1 Sep 1918 - 31158/1 Feb 1919), 7th Bn Royal West Surrey Regiment - World War I.

1919: Alfred Henry Dunhill rejoined the business; factory and offices purchased at 20 Pancras Road, London; fire at Notting Hill Gate pipe factory; Dunhill and Sasieni part after serious conflicts. Dunhill stopped buying bowls turned in France in favor of those turned in London at Notting Hill Gate pipe factory.

1920: Wholesale and export departaments moved to Notting Hill Gate.

1921: Alfred Dunhill of London Inc. formed in New York; First registration of "Alfred Dunhill" signature as a trademark; First Royal Warrant received, as Tobacconist to Eduard, Prince of Wales. 276,000 pipes were sold in the Duke St. Shop. Dunhill formally instituted a one-year pipe guarantee (the "White Dot Guarantee") and in conjunction with that guarantee a date code system to date the year a pipe was offered for sale.

1922: Alfred Dunhill of London Inc. formed in Toronto; first New York shop opened; The Parker Pipe Company Limited formed, to become a subsidiary of Alfred Dunhill Limited.

1923: Alfred Dunhill Limited formed, with an initial authorized share capital of £300,000 (Alfred and his brother Herbert served as directors); "White Spot" trademark registered; shop opened at 27b Throgmorton Street, London.

1924: Mary Dunhill joined the company; Société Anonyme Française Alfred Dunhill (SAFAD) formed; shop opened at 15 rue de la Paix, Paris; The Pipe Book by Alfred Dunhill published; Unique lighter introduced.

1926: Shop opened in Toronto; Mary Dunhill Limited Formed (shop opened in Bayswater); new cigar humidor room opened; watch lighter introduced; Richard Dunhill born.

1927: Herbert E. Dunhill last attended a board meeting, but remained managing director until 1950. Alfred Dunhill launches the revolutionary Unique lighter, the first to be operated using just one hand.

1928: Alfred Dunhill retires; Alfred Henry Dunhill succeeds him as chairman; first Dunhill clock introduced; Captive watch and Belt watch introduced. Alfred Dunhill begins distributing the Namiki pen company's maki-e lacquered pens.

1930: The Root finish is introduced. D.R. "dead root". Denotes Dunhill straight grain pipes. The Bruyere finish was used on these pipes through 1929; root finish was used thereafter. "D.R." stamped on the shank; leather factory opened in Notting Hill Gate; agreement signed with Namiki for the introduction of writing instruments.

1931: French and Canadian Dunhill companies purchased. | Root Briar finish was introduced.

1932: H. L. Savory & Co. Ltd purchased.

1933: Stationery introduced in USA.

1934: Registered office moved from 137 Notting Hill Gate to 30 Duke Street, St. James.

1935: Duke Street, St. James, shop extension commenced.

1936: Large shareholding in Hardcastle Pipes Ltd purchased after a ten-year relationship; the factory was in Walthamstow. The famous Facet timepiece, based on Alfred Dunhill's car head-lamp designs, is launched.

1938: Royal Warrant received from George VI; Vernon Dunhill, Richard Dunhill's father died. Dunhill bought Savory’s.

1941: Duke Street shop bombed; it was extended and rebuilt in the 1950s and recently renovated.

1943: Mary Dunhill appointed director.

1944: Alfred Dunhill Limited purchased Mary Dunhill limited; the business of Wise & Greenwood purchased.

1946: Parker Pipe purchased, Masta Patent Pipe Company; new pipe factory opened in Plaistow.

1948: Richard Dunhill joined the company.

1949: D.Rs are graded with ascending letters "A" to "J".

1950: Herbert E. Dunhill died, Mary Dunhill succeeded him as managing director. | DRs became associated with Root Briar finish, were stamped DRR.

1951: Shop opened in Beverly Hills, CA.

1952: The Tanshell finish is introduced. | The number/letter shape code has been introduced.

1953: Duke Street shop was finally completely rebuilt after being bombed in 1941.

1954: The Gentle Art of Smoking by Alfred H. Dunhill is published.

1955: Alfred H. Dunhill elected Master of The Worshipful Company of Tobacco, Pipe Makers, and Tobacco Blenders.

1956: Rollagas lighter introduced.

1957: New headquarters and shop opened on Duke Street, St. James, 50 years after the first shop opened; "Bill" Carter completed 50 years of service.

1959: Alfred Dunhill, the founder of Alfred Dunhill Limited, died on January 2. Bill Taylor starts working for Dunhill as a boy

1960: Shop opened in Philadelphia.

1961: Alfred Henry Dunhill retired as chairman; appointed president and succeeded as chairman by Mary Dunhill; Richard Dunhill appointed director; shop opened in San Francisco; Alfred Dunhill Tobacco Ltd formed (factory in Plaistow).

1963: Dunhill Toiletries Ltd formed; Royal Warrant received from Queen Elizabeth.

1965: Interest in the company acquired by Carreras Ltd; silk ties introduced.

1966: Shop opened in Hong Kong; Queen's Award for industry received for export achievement.

1967: Hardcastle is merged with Parker and becomes Parker-Hardcastle Ltd; Alfred Dunhill of London Inc., New York, acquired from Dunhill International Inc. Carreras Ltd (now Rothmans International) purchased 50% of the Dunhill capital from the company and from members of the family and three of their directors joined the Dunhill board.

1968: Hong Kong company formed; shop opened in Sydney; controlling interest in Molyneux purchased (sold in 1970); shop opened in Düsseldorf, West Germany.

1970: Shop opened in Kuala Lumpur

1971: Alfred Henry Dunhill died; shop opened in Singapore.

1972: Carreras renamed Rothmans International; the Redbark finish is introduced. (Pipedia Sysop note: Some sources indicate the Redbark was introduced in 1973 while other sources indicate the Redbark was introduced 1972 See example).

1973: Controlling interested in Richards & Appleby Ltd purchased; first Dunhill International Conference in London.

1974: Mary Dunhill celebrated 50 years of service to the company; shop opened in Dallas, TX; Queen's Award for industry received for export achievement; Anthony Greener appointed as a managing director. | D.R. first stars appeared, but for group size.

1975: Mary Dunhill retired as chairman; Richard Dunhill succeeded her; Mary Dunhill appointed president;

1976: H. Simmons Ltd, London, purchased; menswear department opened on lower ground floor at Duke Street, St. James; Brentford Distribution Centre opened; Lane, Ltd., New York, purchased together with subsidiaries F. Charatan, Ben Wade, and Grosvenor Pipe. {Dunhill allowed Holm, Preben to use the Ben Wade name until his death in 1989. Almost a decade passed before John Louis Duncan bought the name from Dunhill and relaunched the brand while still using the Dunhill factory at Walthamstow. The Ben Wade brand was subsequently sold to Mr Peter Wilson, in 1998 (John Duncan, a grandson of the founder John Louis Duncan, sold the firm to his brother-in-law Peter Wilson). The Lane, Ltd. was sold to the Scandinavian Tobacco Group in 1987. The Richemont group continue with manufacturing and selling the Charatan pipe brand nowadays (Dunhill and Charatan are still under the umbrella of them)}. | The number/letter shape code was discontinued and replaced by a 4 or 5 digits code.

1977: Shop opened in Houston, TX; controlling interest in Montblanc-Simplo GmbH, West Germany, purchased; Dunhill pipes Ltd formed; Bill Taylor works as administrator and overseer in the Dunhill Factory.

1978: Shop opened in Atlanta, GA; temporary controlling interest in Collingwood of Conduit ltd; Mary Dunhill retired from the board of Dunhill Toiletries Ltd. | Collector Series was introduced (001 nomenclature) | D.R last year using stars for group size and letters for the grade. Dunhill started again to hand-turn (HT) bowls (Collector and D.R series only).

1979: Our Family Business by Mary Dunhill published; shop opened in Washington D.C. | Collector Series were stamped "002", and after 1979 this special stamp was dropped. D.R. series are graded with stars and also an “XL” stamp was added.

1980: First Dunhill Pipe Dealer's World Conference, in London; the Cumberland finish is introduced; shop opened in Dubai; sponsorship of Alfred Dunhill Queen's Cup polo tournament commenced.

1981: Shops-within-shops opened in Selfridges and Harrods, London; shop opened in Munich; tobacco manufacturing moved from Sewell Street to Murray Sons & Co. Ltd, Belfast; Dunhill Tobacco Ltd sold; Alfred Dunhill eyewear introduced.

1982: Dunhill Holdings plc acquired Alfred Dunhill Limited under Scheme of Arrangement; Rothmans International plc controlled new holdings company; pipe manufacturing transferred to Walthamstow; shop opened in Melbourne; Alfred Dunhill Scotch Whisky introduced; shop opened at 14 Poultry, London.

1983: Shop opened in Vancouver.

1984: Edition of men's grooming products introduced; Bill Taylor leaves Dunhill to become Bill Ashton-Taylor | The 5 digit shape numbers ended[29].

1985: Inauguration of Alfred Dunhill Cup golf tournament; Dunhill Tailored Clothes Inc, New York purchased.

1986: Shop opened in Montreal.

1987: Redbark finish officially retired; shops opened at QE2 in Sloane Street, London; redesigned Duke Street shop opened.

1988: Mary Dunhill died; The Englishman's Companion: Alfred Dunhill Exhibition in London.

1989: Richard Dunhill appointed chairman; Michael Nicholson appointed managing director; shops opened in Costa Mesa, Honolulu, Tokyo, Osaka, and Wall Street.

1990: New York shop relocated to 450 Park Avenue; shop opened in Hamburg; Alfred Dunhill Museum opened in Burlington Arcade, London.

1991: Lord Douro appointed chairman of Dunhill Holdings plc, succeeded Edmund Skepper; shops opened in Boston and Seattle.

1992: Shops opened in Geneva, Madrid, and San Diego; Alfred's Dunhill business completed one hundred years of trading.

1993: Alfred Dunhill celebrated it's Centennial worldwide; the Vendôme Luxury Group was created with Alfred Dunhill Ltd and Montblanc-Simplo GmbH as two of its principal subsidiaries; all tobacco interests sold to Rothmans International plc; the centenary watch range was introduced, inspired by Alfred Dunhill's watches of the 1930s; Alfred Dunhill opened its first store in China; the Alfred Dunhill Shooting Season was held in some of Europe's most prestigious locations; Alfred Dunhill Open Golf Championship held in Knokke-le-Zoute, Belgium; François Poirel appointed managing director.

1994: New store openings in Europe and Asia brought the total number of Alfred Dunhill stores to 96; Alfred Dunhill collection of humidors launched.

1995: New retail outlets were established in Taiwan and distribution strengthened throughout the rest of the Pacific Region; Namiki lacquer writing instruments which originally appeared in the 1920s were reintroduced as a limited edition to considerable interest from collectors. | The pipes logo was changed: "Dunhill" inside an ellipse.

1996: First Alfred Dunhill outlet opened in Russia and a new store opened in the city of London; Alfred Dunhill's headquarters relocated to 27 Knightsbridge in London.

1997: Flagship store in Duke Street, London, refurbished and relaunched at 48 Jermyn Street incorporating the Alfred Dunhill Museum which is opened to the public for the first time; partnership with Aston Martin to design the limited edition Alfred Dunhill DB7 sports car; Callum Barton appointed chief executive.

1998: Richard Dunhill celebrated 50 years with the company; Alfred Dunhill Museum acquired the last surviving Alfred Dunhill motor car, the "Tweenie", first sold in 1914 by Dunhill Motorities; Alfred Dunhill opened in the Czech Republic with stores in Prague and Carlsbad; 14th Alfred Dunhill store in China opened; Alfred Dunhill's largest store in Asia opened in Osaka, Japan; new stores opened in Bombay and New Delhi, India and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; number of stores stands at 160 in 26 countries. Alfred Dunhill Edition Aston Martin DB7 – 78 (of an announced 150) "Dunhill Silver platinum metallic" cars with a built-in humidor.

2005: Dunhill suspends the sale of tobacco-related products in its shops. Savile Row tailor Richard James, watch dealer/designer Tom Bolt, casual-wear designer Nick Ashley, and leather-smith Bill Amberg are brought on board to help revitalize the brand.

2007: First Home of Alfred Dunhill opens in Tokyo, Japan.

2008: Alfred Dunhill announces the appointment of menswear designer Kim Jones as Creative Director, a role Alfred Dunhill has not offered before. Second Home of Alfred Dunhill opens in London, UK, in Bourdon House. Third Home of Alfred Dunhill opens in Shanghai, China, in The Twin Villas.

2010: Fourth Home of Alfred Dunhill opens in Hong Kong, China, in Prince's Landmark.

2011: First Voice campaign launched.

2012: The pipes logo was changed to: "Alfred Dunhill's The White Spot" - March. Trafalgar by Alfred Dunhill is presented in Shanghai, China. For The Love film is released.

2016: Richard Dunhill died on Aug. 26, 2016, at the age of 89, having been a Dunhill employee for 68 years.

2018: Dunhill announced that it would no longer sell or market cigars and pipe tobaccos.

2019: STG acquires the rights to reintroduces the old Dunhill blends under the Peterson brand umbrella, STG-Lane Ltd.

Note: Some of this information were extracted from One Hundred Years and More. [79]

Yang (talk) 12:18, 2 January 2020 (CST)

Pipedia in Press


The Nordic Smoker's Guild (NSG) in his last publication of the year, (December 2019 - its a quarterly publication), the "Piper & Tobak" (a Danish magazine) No. 165, did mention the work that is developed on this page.

Many people already know about www.pipedia.org, where all kinds of information about pipes are available. Some information needs a critical approach, but most often it is an excellent source of knowledge. If you are interested in Dunhill, a lot of new material has emerged thanks to a very enthusiastic young Brazilian named Yang Forcióri. Among other things, he has provided a lot of articles by the late John C. Loring, who was named the leading Dunhill authority.


Our compliments to the editor, Mr. Carsten Andersen. "Relax with your pipe!" Tak!

Contact information:

If you have something to add or suggest, please contact us:

A selection of Dunhill Estate pipes can be found at Pipedia Underwriter, lepipe.it

S.E.THILE Handmade Pipes 
E-mail: mailto:sethile.pipes@gmail.com
Yang Forcióri
Brasília, Distrito Federal - Brazil
E-mail: mailto:yang@forciori.com.br
Alfred Dunhill Manufacturing Limited
Official site: http://www.whitespot.co.uk/
32 St Andrews Road, London E17 6BQ; 
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8498 4000; 
Fax: +44 (020) 8498 4077; 
Email: mailto:adpl@dunhill.com


Our Contributors

Antony Cook. Arno van Goor. Ben Rapaport. Bruno de Figueiredo. Carsten Andersen. Doug Valitchka. Fawzi Bakeer. Fred Hanna. Guy Lesser. Jean-Christophe Bienfait. Jonathan Guss. Kalmon S. Hener. Leslie Wood. Luiz Leal. Scott Thile. Steve Snyder. Radek Jůza. Richard Esserman. Victor Naddeo.     


Off site links

Bibliography

Thanks to Ben Rapaport, who sent us the taking-off point for this Dunhill bibliography he titled The Dunhill Legacy. Ben is an excellent source of rare and out of print tobacco-related titles and can be reached by e-mail: ben70gray@gmail.com:

20200410 132834 239.jpg
  • Balfour, Michael, Alfred Dunhill, One Hundred Years and More (Weidenfield and Nicolson, London, 1992)
  • Blei, Davide, and Bottoni, Luciano, The Dunhill Petrol Lighter: A Unique Story (2004)
  • Dunhill, Alfred
    • The Pipe Book (1924; 1969 and later reprints)
    • The Gentle Art of Smoking (1954, 1961 New Edition, 1968 and later reprints)
    • The Story of Dunhill's, 1907-1957
    • The Story of Dunhill’s, 1907–1970
  • Dunhill Ltd., Pleasures of the Pipe (1967)
  • Dunhill Ltd., 1928 catalog, about Smoke, An Encyclopedia of Smoking. A facsimile is available through BriarBooks Press
  • Dunhill, Mary, Our Family Business (1979)
  • Foulkes, Nick, Dunhill by Design: A Very English Story (Flammarion, Paris, 2005)
  • Hutt, Julia, and Overbury, Stephen, Namiki: Alfred Dunhill Namiki. The Art of Japanese Lacquer Pens (Pens Unlimited, 2000)
  • Loring, J. C.,
    • The Dunhill Briar Pipe, The Patent Years and After (self-published, Chicago, 1998)
    • Dunhill Catalogs.
      • Vol. I. The Early Years, 1910–1926
      • Vol. II. The Elegant Years, 1927–1935
      • Vol. III. The Later Years, 1936–1962
      • Vol. IV. Dunhill Catalogs & Patents. An Addendum (self-published, Chicago, 1999)


Note: If you know of Dunhill related publications that should be included, please add them here, or send them to sethile.pipes@gmail.com, and we can add them for you.

References

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