In Memoriam

William Ashton-Taylor died today.

I knew Bill for 29 years, and we had a close business partnership for 20 of those years. From 1983 to 2003 Bill made Ashton pipes, and I distributed them in the United States. It was during this 20 year period that I became very close to Bill, to his wife Irene, and to his children Nicola and Spencer. I truly loved Bill, and Irene, Nicola, and Spencer are still very dear to me.

I first met Bill in 1979 on what I would call a research visit to the Dunhill Pipe Factory, then located on Cumberland Road in East London, and I saw him twice more (in 1980 and 1981) when attending Dunhill Principal Pipe Dealers Conferences. Finding he had a true talent for pipe making I contacted him in early 1983, asking if he had an interest in crafting a line of pipes that I would distribute. He agreed, and began to set up a workshop in his garage. Before the first pipe was produced we had to come up with a name- a name that exuded both English hand-craftsmanship and quality. It was during a transatlantic telephone call in February of that year that the name Ashton was decided upon. My youngest daughter's middle name is Ashley, and so I suggested this to Bill. "No, sounds too much like Astley's" was his response. Then- at the same millisecond we both said "Ashton", and so it was.

Bill was perhaps the most social individual I have met, and he carried this easy access in all aspects of his life. He was also one of the most stubborn people I have known, but it was a quiet stubbornness. He'd listen to what one had to say, would make no rejoinder, and then follow his own muse. He was blessed- with immense creativity, and cursed- in that he made the worst decisions, both business and personal, I have ever witnessed. I guess, in the end, this showed his humanity. He was a lovely human being. I shall miss him. (Sept. 16, 2009)

There really hasn't been a lot to report lately, other than Rainer Barbi's inability to craft many pipes in the last year and a half due to a series of illnesses. He is now on the road to recovery and, hopefully, we'll see more of his work in the near future.
On a more pleasant note- Paolo Becker and his son Federico (also now a pipe maker, and responsible for the ever-popular spaghetto ultra thin shanks) will tour the southwestern United States with Jan and myself- beginning October 14. Of course there will be a bit of business to be done, with a store show at Edwards Pipe Shop in Englewood, Colorado on October 24, and an appearance at the West Coast Pipe Show, held in Las Vegas (Nevada, not New Mexico) on October 31. (Sept. 15, 2009)

We will attend the following shows:

May 1 & 2: Chicagoland Worldwide Pipe & Tobacco Show, held at the Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, IL

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