Lane Ltd...."10 Downing Street"....Any Substitutes?

Years ago, I used to by "10 Downing Street" that was blended by Lane Ltd. Can no longer find this mild, English-blend. I can find Lane's "HGL" and was wondering if this is a fair substitute?
Better yet.....is "10 Downing Street" still being sold? I can't find it.
Thanks,
Frank

wy2w...
Thanks for the interest. I too smoked this many years ago.
Cannot find this old, Lane Ltd. tobacco blend, at least I don't know where to look for it. If I remember correctly, it was a very mild, English blend that didn't stink like burnt leather. I really don't want to smoke cased/flavored/Glycol-sprayed tobaccos, so mild Englishy-type blends are what I'm looking for. I'd like to smoke some of this, for old time's sake.
If you find a retailer, let me know, please.
BTW, I've found that memories of a thing can be deceiving, sometimes cruel....idealized recollections are sometimes better than the reality. I haven't smoked this blend for years, and wonder if I was to smoke some tomorrow, would I even enjoy it like I once did? Tastes and priorities do change over time....and don't I know it now. : ))) Is tobaccy any different?
Frank

papipeguy, and wy2w...
Judging by your posts, I think we can be considered "men of a certain age"....at least, I am.
When I was a young man, I used to shop all over lower-Manhattan. The area was loaded with surplus stores, job-lots, hardware stores, electric motor stores, WW-2 surplus stores, a hobbyist's dream....and, NYC was filled with Tobacconists, and tiny Pipe "Hospitals"....places where you can get your pipe fixed while you waited, or while you were at work. Men would drop off a pipe, at lunchtime, and pick up the repaired pipe at quitting time. The Wall Street area was filled with pipe shops, Wally Franks, Barclay Rex, and many others that were all over Manhattan. Men smoked pipes in those days... 1960s. Walking into a tobacco shop was a great experience for a young boy of 14. Ah!...that cloying, heady aroma of those exotic, tobaccos, all lined up on the oak counters, in giant, Apothecary jars. Looking at the 100s of pipes would make my eyes hurt. Where do I look first? It was great. Most shop owners were very friendly, and let me lift the glass lids and smell the tobacco. I couldn't wait until I grew up and could start smoking a pipe. I had to wait until I turned 16 years old for that to happen, and must have looked like a skinny, idiot when I did smoke my pipe. I didn't care. BTW, I loved to walk behind any gent who was smoking a pipe, especially in the chilly Autumn weather. A good whiff of pipe tobacco would transport me into a world that 14 year old boys dream of. And the girls would surely think is was smart! The joke was on me.
Today, sadly, it's all gone. So is that 14 year old boy. Try to find a Tobacconists or, affordable, Pipe Shop in NYC....where are they? There's no competition, so shops can charge whatever they want for pipes. Everything's gone, or the few shops that are left are just a ghost of what they were in the past. Wilke's, De La Concha, Wally Frank, Barclay Rex, Dunhill Pipes, Arnold's, Connoisseur Pipes... either gone, or unaffordable. That leaves mail-order....which I hate. I'll order tobacco off the web, but not a pipe. For the prices that they get for pipes these days, I want to get up close and personal with any contemplated briar purchase.
But, I digress...."10 Downing Street", where are you? Give me one more sip.
Frank

Thanks guys-
I used to belong to the NYC Pipe Club, back when Sailorman Jack was still at the helm, Barry Levin mailed out photos of the estate pipes he was selling, and Tom Dunn's "Pipe Smokers Ephemeris" was an awaited event when it showed up in my mailbox. Back then, smoking was allowed....anywhere. There were some pipe shows in Newark, NJ, and I attended quite a few.
Jaytex.... thanks for the tip regarding PS's Luxury English. I will try some. BTW, like the black powder cannon. I made one of those, years ago, and loved shooting it on the Fourth of July, just blank-loaded, for salutes. Can't do that anymore in NYC. Cops will confiscate the cannon, and label me as a terrorist. Welcome to The USSA.
Frank

wy2y, et al...
Yep...indeed the world has moved on...and has become a strange place for me, an old fossil.
I revisited this post to let you guys know that Smoker's Haven lists "10 Downing Street" as one of their blends @6.25 p/oz.... but you beat me to the punch. Thanks for posting the good news.
BTW, I have tried Lane Ltd. "HGL" English blend, and find it just as good a smoke as "10 Downing Street", more affordable, and far easier to find. I let it dry out for a few days, and it smokes great....so, I'm a happy man again. This blend reminds me of Wilke's "Gotham Court"....another excellent tobacco blend. Ditto: Wilke's "High Hat"
"HGL" is supposed to be like Lane's RPL-6 ...but without the casings and flavorings, and with a little Latakia added. I like the aroma. It doesn't have that burnt leather stench, and is easy on the tongue. But hey, that's just me.
Smoker's Haven

716-675-6195
Pipeworks and Wilkes

802-661-8339
Frank

I just went to the Wilkes Tobacco site and noticed that they are listing "Wilkes 10 Downing Street". I wonder if it's the original Land Ltd. blend, or, their version of this aromatic, English blend?
Frank

Terrific information! Love the idea of blending different tobaccos together to make your own specialized blend(s) - by working with blending tobaccos.
Or maybe even take a easily found, well established blend, and add more specialized tobaccos to it, turning it into a customized mixture tailored to your own taste.
For example....I could start with Lane Ltd/"HGL" as a base, and add some ????? Damn....I have no idea what proportions, or tobaccos to use, and how they influence the final blend/mixture. Well, now it's time to do some research.
Question:

Being new to this forum, is there a thread where recipes for customized blends/mixtures can be found, much like the example deathmetal provided?
Thanks for all the interesting replies, suggestions, etc. I'm glad I asked.
Frank