Pipe type.

[Andriko]

simong already got there before me, but the Cuban Cigar Club in Newcastle is a wonderful shop, and the one time I was there the gentleman was very friendly, so I am sure he will be able to help you find something. If I remember, he had quite a few pipe there, some of which were Wessexes, which I think are supposed to be decent and affordable pipes, though not a Homes or a Churchwarden.

As for Churchwardens, my first pipe was a Peterson Churchwarden, and I found it a bit of a pain, though being new I didn't understand why. They are not so easy to handle, and a nightmare to clean. I've since come to the conclusion that straight, or only slightly bent, stems are the way to go.

You might want to take inspiration from Jeremy Brett's Holmes with something like these:

 

[lraisch]

He did not. And Sherlock smoked a Cherrywood and a clay black from use, not a Calabash like on stage productions. I would recommend a briar pipe that catches your eye, but from a reputable maker. Honestly, though, the best recommendation is to get a pipe that speaks to you so you'll want to smoke it. If that is a churchwarden or calabash, then go for it.

Holmes also smoked a briar with a "reeking amber" stem. Apparently, the calabash did not become popular in England until after the Boer war when British soldiers discovered them. William Gillette in his play about Holmes, reportedly chose a bent pipe because he found he could not deliver his lines while smoking a straight stem. Even then it may not have been a calabash although that would clearly be more visible from the audience.

 

[Searock Fan]

Holmes also smoked a briar with a "reeking amber" stem. Apparently, the calabash did not become popular in England until after the Boer war when British soldiers discovered them. William Gillette in his play about Holmes, reportedly chose a bent pipe because he found he could not deliver his lines while smoking a straight stem. Even then it may not have been a calabash although that would clearly be more visible from the audience.

I seem to remember reading somewhere that Gillette smoked a calabash on stage because it was large enough for the audience in the back row to see it.

p.s. By chance I happen to be smoking my calabash right now. It's filled with 4th Generation 1931 and the calabash is the only pipe I can smoke it in without gagging.

 

[kcghost]

You could always give smokingpipes.eu a try but the 60 pound limit is kind of a bummer.