Northern Briars G5 Regal Banded Billiard NB-278

• Overall Length: 177mm
• Overall Height: 57mm
• Bowl Height: 57mm
• Bowl Diameter: 44mm
• Bore: 22mm
• Weight: 83g
• Gift Boxed
• Cloth Pipe Bag Included

The straight Billiard has been the working backbone of British pipe making for generations, and Northern Briars has given the old shape a particularly handsome treatment with this G5 Regal Banded Billiard.

The bowl is tall and substantial without becoming cumbersome, with the familiar straight-sided Billiard profile softened slightly towards the heel. A deep chestnut stain brings out some lovely grain in the briar, particularly the sweeping patterns visible around the bowl. Between shank and stem sits a broad silver-coloured band, neatly engraved with the Northern Briars emblem and giving the pipe its Regal character.

The stem deserves a mention too. Rather than plain black, it has a dark brindled appearance with subtle reddish-brown figuring that works beautifully alongside the briar.

Northern Briars pipes are made in England by Ian Walker, whose work has long appealed to smokers wanting traditional British shapes made on a small scale. The G5 grading and restrained Billiard form make NB-278 a fine example of that approach: familiar in outline, carefully finished and with enough individual character to distinguish it from a factory-made pipe.