A.TAYLOR & SON
England
Thanks to the knowledgeable community of the Pipes Magazine forum the story of Abraham Taylor’s family business is presented quite clearly, although it is evident that the general outline does not differ much from the stories of other Jewish immigrants, such as the Bewleys or the Sasieni.
The Taylors arrived in the United Kingdom from the Russian Empire in the 1880s. It should be understood that the tsarist regime kept Jews at a considerable distance only in the so-called “settlement zones” in the territories of Ukraine and Belarus, so there is nothing in common with today’s Muscovy. The family was quite large: three daughters and two sons, one of whom became a tailor (what a surprise! :-)), and the other assisted his father in the business.
The first mention of A. Taylor’s shop at 117 Cable Street (Whitechapel, not far from the Tower) dates back to 1910. Between 1915 and 1920, the business moved to 73B Victoria Street, Westminster, just a 10-minute walk from Buckingham Palace. It is therefore unsurprising that the shop prospered at such a location at least until the late 1960s (the last entry in the telephone book is 1969).
Assortment: high-quality English middle and upper middle level pipes, among the samples we will find Mayfair clearly from Sasieni, Kings Imperial from John Redman, some other pipes exclusively branded for the tobacconist , in which Redman’s traits are also recognizable.
Pipe markings “A.TAYLOR & SON \ 738 VICTORIA ST. S…”
Length 15.3 cm (6.02″)
Bowl Height 4.1 cm (1.61″)
Outside Diameter 4.0 cm (1.57″)
Chamber Diameter 2.0 cm (0.79″)
Chamber Depth 3.3 cm (1.3″)
Weight 38 gr.
Briar, vulcanite stem, no filter. We had to fix several more and less noticeable scratches and dents on the bowl.
The pipe has been thoroughly cleaned, polished, sanitized and now is ready for a new life.
