Why we may not have musical pipes, or the esteemed piper’s giving a rendition of whichever Christmas carol might be your favourite…the Archive team have managed to find a type which appears frequently on archaeological sites, the clay pipe.

A clay pipe from our archives

Tobacco arrived in Britain following the 16th century European expeditions to the Americas that witnessed the ritualistic use amongst the native tribes of the continent, and soon became a mainstay within the British lifestyle. Despite being initially disapproved and persecuted against by religious leaders, and even King James I, discontent amongst the people saw that it would be imported with a levy applied.

Although initially only affordable for the rich, the habit of tobacco smoking spread quickly across the country and by the late 17th century almost every town and city had a clay pipe makers. The size of the bowl and length of stem were all altered over time in keeping with the fashion, to allow for more tobacco or a cooler smoke. This often saw long-stemmed pipes thrown away on the spot after use as they broke so easily!

At the beginning of the 18th century the clay pipe industry declined dramatically due to the conflict between Europe and America, but became popular again in the 19th century, with intricate and artistic pipe designs commonplace.

In the modern (cigarette-loving) setting, pipe smoking is considered a novelty for those nostalgic fellows amongst us.

Feature image recreated from Xavier Romero-Frias https://es.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:XRF_12days.jpg under CC license