G.W. SIMS freehand
England, 1970s
According to pipedia, George W. Sims used to work for Charatan’s (that is clearly visible of some Sims pipes) and for Barling (that is also not excluded). But finally he found himself as an independent tobacconist and an owner of a little shop in Northern London, which existed till 1980. “G.W. Sims was one of the few English pipe makers who produced Danish style freehands carved from specially selected plateaux briar. Mr. Sims willingly made pipes to personal specifications”. (Pipedia). Some customers made a long way from other English cities to purchase wonderful G.W. Sims pipes for a collection.
Today we are pleased to present a truly Danish style freehand pipe, made by George Sims most likely no early than the 1970s (judging by the acrylic mouthpiece).
Pipe markings “G. W. SIMS \ LONDON MADE”
Length 14.0 cm (5.51″)
Bowl Height 6.6 cm (2.6″)
Outside Dimensions 4.6 x 4.9 cm (1.81 x 1.93″)
Chamber Diameter 2.2 cm (0.87″)
Chamber Depth 4.6 cm (1.81″)
Weight 64 gr.
Briar, acrylic stem (carefully patched near the button – the trace is visible in good light), no filter.
The pipe was accurately smoked, it has been thoroughly cleaned, polished, sanitized and now is ready for a new life.
Geoff Sims (not George) had his shop at 110 Junction Road, N19 which he ran with his sister Renee. Geoff apparently came from a long line of pipemakers. During the war he was a tail gunner on Lancaster bombers and his sister was a ferry pilot delivering aircraft to the RAF. Geoff used to make and repair pipes for Bing Crosby and several other well known people and was said to have ‘invented’ the Basil Rathbone ‘Sherlock Holmes’ pipe. He had no children and asked his neighbour’s child – Jed Beardmore, if he would like to learn the trade and take over his business but Jed declined. He sold the business in 1980 (being tricked out of it’s true worth according to Jed). He was a very nice man and had a pipe ‘museum’ in the basement which he would show people around.
My father took me to be measured by Mr Sims for my first pipe in 1968 at 13 years old.
I had met him many times as a lad because he liked my dad, who was a frequent customer. I remember the fabulous smell of the shop even now.
“A man’s pipe should be the right weight for his jaw…”