Parker Root Bruyere Made in London England Straight Dublin Briar Estate Pipe

PARKER over ROOT, set inside a diamond, over BRUYERE, and MADE IN LONDON over ENGLAND: this is a Parker Root Bruyere, a straight Dublin in smooth briar on a vulcanite tapered stem with a fishtail mouthpiece.

There is no filter, and a metal tube sits in the tenon. MADE IN LONDON / ENGLAND and BRUYERE read clearly; the word PARKER at the top is softer. A small diamond is set on the top of the stem.

Parker is known as Dunhill's second line, and its story starts with Alfred Dunhill himself. In 1922 he formed the Parker Pipe Co Ltd to finish and market Dunhill "failings"; before that, Dunhill had marked such pipes with an X over-stamp or as "Damaged Price". The first Parker pipes followed in 1923. Loring, author of The Dunhill Briar Pipe, adds a caution: very few Parkers were true Dunhill failings, because most bowls were graded out before finishing and briar was also bought elsewhere.

The ties grew closer over the years. In 1935 Dunhill opened a factory next door to Hardcastle, in 1936 it bought 49 percent of Hardcastle, and in 1946 the rest. In 1967 Parker-Hardcastle Limited was formed. Parker was never sold in Dunhill's own catalogues or shops. In the United States the brand was strong from the 1930s to the 1950s, faded, and was brought back in 1991. During the Second World War Parker was not a government-approved briar maker and made the "Wunup", a pipe of bakelite and clay, instead.

THE MARKS

- PARKER / ROOT (inside a diamond) / BRUYERE stamped on the shank
- MADE IN LONDON / ENGLAND stamped on the shank
- A small diamond on the top of the stem

Bruyere is the French word for briar. The shape is a straight Dublin: the bowl widens as it rises toward the rim instead of standing straight-sided like a billiard, and it sits on a straight shank. The vulcanite stem tapers evenly to a fishtail mouthpiece, which spreads the draw across the tongue.

The finish is smooth, with a soft satin shine. Please see the photographs for the grain.

Parker dated its pipes with a small number stamped after MADE IN LONDON over ENGLAND, used from 1924 to 1957. No date code can be seen in the photographs of this pipe, and a missing code is not a year (it can mean 1923, a pipe made after 1957, or a worn stamp), so no date is claimed here.

Condition: pre-smoked, in very good condition, with tiny scratches and dents around the briar. Please see the photographs.

THE MEASUREMENTS

- Length: 158 mm (6.22 in)
- Bowl height: 53 mm (2.09 in)
- Bowl width: 39 mm (1.54 in)
- Chamber diameter: 22 mm (0.87 in)
- Chamber depth: 46 mm (1.81 in)
- Weight: 50 g (1.76 oz)

Ships from the Faridunhill archive. Worldwide shipping and professional sanitation on every estate pipe. SKU: 452