Churchwarden pipe with box, Shropshire, England, 1880-1910
Churchwarden clay pipes are characterised by an extremely long stem; this example measures 500 mm in length. The pipe was made by William Southorn & Co, a tobacco pipe maker based in Broseley, Shropshire, England. Such a pipe was well suited to a leisure-time smoke, rather than when working. Clay pipes could quite easily break so a shorter pipe was more appropriate for the workplace. Founded in the 1830s, the company won prizes for their work and continued making tobacco pipes until the 1950s. Their factory is now part of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum in Shropshire.
Object number:
1987-860
Related Themes and Topics
Glossary:
Glossary: smoking
A practice where a substance, most commonly tobacco is burned and the smoke inhaled. It is currently practiced by over one billion people worldwide (2008)
Glossary: churchwarden pipe
tobacco pipes with long stems, measuring up to and over 40 cm