The Lost Pipe Shops of London (video)

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Terry Lennox

Can't Leave
Aug 11, 2021
393
2,178
Southern California
Interesting history of some famous old pipe shops in this video linked below.


Man, how I would love. to travel back in time when it was common to see pipe smokers casually going. about their day in a great metropolis. I know the best old shops from New York are mostly gone, but you would hope some could remain in London.

Also, if you were ever curious what the drawing on the F&T tins was this video answers that.

I have an F&T estate pipe. And also two Astley's that I love.
 

coys

Can't Leave
Feb 15, 2022
336
781
Missouri
True. I think the hobby has had a bit of a resurgence in the last few years but I have no hard data to prove that.
Well, I’m a millennial but I’m not exactly sure what caused me to consider picking up a pipe.

The draw for me is just the same as what might draw a person my age to wines, or cigars, or fancy coffee or being a “foodie”.

Unfortunately there’s some societal bias against tobacco because of cigarettes, which the world would be better off without, and a main hurdle would be educating people that pipes and tobacco are totally different.
 

Papamique

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 11, 2020
790
3,959
A great post.

The draw for me is just the same as what might draw a person my age to wines, or cigars, or fancy coffee or being a “foodie”.

I recently witnessed this first hand with a group of younger pipe smokers that had fine pipes, tobacco and accessories. If I were to draw a parallel to cigar resurgence they were not smoking .50¢ “Dutch Masters” but $20 hand rolled Nicaraguan cigars. It was actually refreshing to see them really investing in the hobby with determination and class. Hopefully it truly is a new trend.
 

Searock Fan

Lifer
Oct 22, 2021
1,911
5,308
U.S.A.
Interesting history of some famous old pipe shops in this video linked below.


Man, how I would love. to travel back in time when it was common to see pipe smokers casually going. about their day in a great metropolis. I know the best old shops from New York are mostly gone, but you would hope some could remain in London.

Also, if you were ever curious what the drawing on the F&T tins was this video answers that.

I have an F&T estate pipe. And also two Astley's that I love.
No wonder in the half dozen or so visits I've made to London, I never found a pipe I wanted. What a shame..... :(
 
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guylesss

Can't Leave
May 13, 2020
322
1,155
Brooklyn, NY
Evidently "Geary" or @gearyhistory is just embarked on making videos (roughly 5-6 minutes long) about the golden age of London pipe and tobacco retailers--this one apparently his second of the month (his first devoted to Dunhill).

Nice archival photos, and a relief to see buildings remain and even the rudiments of storefronts have survived.

But rather more intriguing to me are a couple of unobtainium grade tobaccos to add to the list--especially Benson & Hedges "Original Virgina Flake" or OVF (which at least has a couple of reviews on tobaccoreviews.com) and even more intriguing B&H's Special Cut Plug (which doesn't).
 
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simong

Lifer
Oct 13, 2015
2,607
15,591
UK
Evidently "Geary" or @gearyhistory is just embarked on making videos (roughly 5-6 minutes long) about the golden age of London pipe and tobacco retailers--this one apparently his second of the month (his first devoted to Dunhill).

Nice archival photos, and a relief to see buildings remain and even the rudiments of storefronts have survived.

But rather more intriguing to me are a couple of unobtainium grade tobaccos to add to the list--especially Benson & Hedges "Original Virgina Flake" or OVF (which at least has a couple of reviews on tobaccoreviews.com) and even more intriguing B&H's Special Cut Plug (which doesn't).
B&H’s Special Cut Plug was ( along with their other brands) blended by Gallahers in Northern Ireland. This Geary chap was mistaken in describing it as a Penzance like tobacoco, as it didn’t contain any Latakia.
My favourite from B&H was their ‘Finest Smoking Mixture’ which did contain Latakia, albeit in a very small quantity.

Nice little video. Nice but a bit strange. Couldn’t work out if the narration was computer generated or Mr. Geary has an unfortunately pedestrian voice & speaks like a computer.
 
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Reactions: guylesss
Dec 3, 2021
4,902
41,404
Pennsylvania & New York
B&H’s Special Cut Plug was ( along with their other brands) blended by Gallahers in Northern Ireland. This Geary chap was mistaken in describing it as a Penzance like tobacoco, as it didn’t contain any Latakia.
My favourite from B&H was their ‘Finest Smoking Mixture’ which did contain Latakia, albeit in a very small quantity.

Nice little video. Nice but a bit strange. Couldn’t work out if the narration was computer generated or Mr. Geary has an unfortunately pedestrian voice & speaks like a computer.
I had wondered if it was a computer generated voice as well.
 

guylesss

Can't Leave
May 13, 2020
322
1,155
Brooklyn, NY
B&H’s Special Cut Plug was ( along with their other brands) blended by Gallahers in Northern Ireland. This Geary chap was mistaken in describing it as a Penzance like tobacoco, as it didn’t contain any Latakia.
My favourite from B&H was their ‘Finest Smoking Mixture’ which did contain Latakia, albeit in a very small quantity.

Nice little video. Nice but a bit strange. Couldn’t work out if the narration was computer generated or Mr. Geary has an unfortunately pedestrian voice & speaks like a computer.
Along with @TheIronMonkey I too wondered about the eerie delivery. I am grateful to know the blends were Gallahers. And in much the same way, I found his other recent video about Dunhill fraught with numerous minor factual errors and somewhat misleading statements of various kinds. Perhaps the jewel there--for someone to pursue--is a youtube viewer who left a comment actually worked at the Dunhill factory in the 1970s!