Often missed, is the hidden aspect of visiting a traditional tobacconist in person that online shopping cannot provide. Experiencing the complex aromas of pipe tobacco, accurately described by Peter Ross in this article from The Scotsman. Aromas taking our guests back to the 19th century England, precisely to the Beastmarket Hill in Nottingham.
There, in a small agricultural store selling seeds and manure, the ambitious owner, son of a solicitor from Essex John Player decides to create extra revenue by selling loose tobacco from jars and hand-made cigarettes weighted on the shops scales made of fine cut or rough cut tobaccos to suit the customer’s individual needs. Little did he know that in few years, his “packs” of cigarettes are going to fuel one of the biggest industries in history.
After successful 15 years, with many customers connecting his name with tobacco, the shopkeeper acquires a factory in Broad Marsh to produce hand-rolled cigarettes on what was then considered a mass scale, trying to meet the demands of the growing local market. The importance of marketing was clear to John who in 1877 registered company’s trademark, a drawing of Nottingham Castle that was used on pipe tobacco tins until the 1960’s.
His timing was perfect, in 3 years time, an american inventor James Alfred Bosnack is going to change the cigarette industry forever with his cigarette making machine.
With secured position on the market and plans to mass produce cigarettes in convenient packs for quick, over the counter sales, John, now important player in Nottingham buys land in Radford for three new factory blocks. One is used to start off the automated production of cigarettes in 1884 while the remaining two are leased to lace manufacturers until they are required for tobacco use later.
Later that year John Player dies of liver cancer at the age of 45 and the business is controlled by family friends until the sons, William Goodacre and Dane Player, take over in 1890s. They did well, so well that the competition in the US started to respond to the events in the UK tobacco market. To avoid a takeover, the Player brothers merged “Player’s” with Imperial Tobacco Group moving the head office to Bristol but keeping their own identity with cigarette brands such as Navy Cut, No. 9, John Player Special, and Gold Leaf; loose tobacco brands such as No Name; and its distinctive logo of a smoking sailor in a navy-cut cap.
John Parker established a business that continued to grow for decades after his death. Starting as a small factory employing 150 workers producting hand made cigarettes and peaking with a 11,000 strong man-force in the 50s’ making the last English-produced cigarettes in the Horizon factory closed in 2016.
The mass production of cigarettes is no longer profitable and a lot has changed but the pipe smokers community is still alive with active participants in Facebook groups, online forums such as Speak Easy or Reddit! with variety of contributors from all over the world.
Remaining traditional tobacconists understand best that you can’t replace the visit in a tobacco store with online experience. No matter how good the website is, the shop is required to provide the full experience and the opportunity to chat about the pipe tobacco blends, plugs and flakes.
Such is The Pipe Shop, family run with it’s story starting in 1957 when docks worker, Mr Boyle opened a small shop in Leith, Edinburgh. His daughter Elaine and son in law, Alan Myerthall taking over the shop in 1972 adopted to the changing markets allowing The Pipe Shop to thrive even in modern, harshly regulated tobacco market as described in this 2017 article from Pipes and Tobacco magazine. Now under the control of Alan’s son in law Steve and daughter Ruth the shop is offering the well established blends and other specials such as special made, own Port O’ Leith Snuff from Sir William Scott’s as well as cuban cigars and other related products to those seeking the old way of shopping for pipes and tobacco.
If you are a pipe or cigar smoker planning to visit the Scottish capitol you can save our location on your phone in Google Maps or Bing Maps .Start your journey browsing our online selection.
Airman Flake: c.1925 – 1955
Airman Golden Honeydew: c.1925 – 1965
Airman Mixture: c.1925 – 1965
Airman Navy cut: c.1925 – 1965
Airman Navy Cut RR: c.1935 – 1945
Airman Navy Cut De Luxe: c.1925 – 1955
Big Lick Cut Cavendish: c.1895 – 1904
Black Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Black Prince: c.1880 – 1910
Black Virginia Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Bright Counter Shag c.1880 – 1910
Bright Cut Plug: c.1895 – 1910
Broncho Brown Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Bristol Birds Eye: c.1880 – 1910
Brown Flake No1: c.1895 – 1910
Brown Flake No2: c.1895 – 1910
Brown Flake No3: c.1895 – 1910
Brown Flake No4: c.1895 – 1910
Brown Flake No5: c.1895 – 1910
Castle Smoking Mixture: c.1880 – 1910
Castle Birds Eye: c.1880 – 1910
Castle G Flake Honeydew c.1880 – 1965
Castle Returns: c.1880 – 1910
Castle Gold Leaf: c.1880 – 1910
Castle Gold Leaf Honeydew c.1880 – 1910
Country Life Mix: c.1900 – 1945
Country Life Mix Mild: c.1895 – 1940
Country Life Mix Medium: c.1900 – 1965
Country Life White Label: c.1920 – 1940
Columbus Chewing: c.1895 – 1910
Crocus: c.1895 – 1910
Cut American Plug: c.1895 – 1910
Cut Gold Bar: c.1895 – 1910
Cut Sailors Plug No1: c.1895 – 1910
Cut Sailors Plug No2: c.1895 – 1910
Cut Sailors Plug No3: c.1895 – 1910
Cut Sailors Plug No5: c.1895 – 1910
Digger Cut Plug: c.1925 – 1965
Digger Flake: c.1925 – 1970
Digger Flake R.R. c.1950 – 1965
Digger Flake Medium: c.1950 – 1960
Digger Honeydew: c.1925 – 1970
Digger Mixture: c.1920 – 1970
Digger Mixture Coarse: c.1920 – 1965
Digger Roll & Pigtail: c.1925 – 1965
Digger shag: c.1920 – 1970
Double Ring Flake: c.1935 – 1945
Double Ring Mixture: c.1935 – 1945
D.S.O. Mixture: c.1895 – 1910
Dreadnought: c.1895 – 1910
Drumhead Cut Plug: c.1895 – 1910
Eighty Club Mixture: c.1895 – 1910
Extra Special Flake Honeydew: c.1895 – 1910
Finest Latakia: c.1895 – 1910
Flake Honeydew No1: c.1895 – 1910
Flake Honeydew No2: c.1895 – 1910
Flake Honeydew No3: c.1895 – 1910
Flake Honeydew No4: c.1895 – 1910
Genuine Chester Cut: c.1895 – 1910
Genuine Old Fashion Ships Plug: c.1895
Gamefeather: c.1900 – 1965
Golden Birds Eye: c.1880 – 1910
Gold Leaf Birds Eye: c.1895 – 1910
Gold Leaf Honeydew: c.1895 – 1910
Gold Leaf Medium: c.1910 – 1940
Gold Leaf Navy cut: c.1895 – 1970
Gold Leaf Navy Cut R R: c.1925 – 1970
Gold Leaf Tawny: c.1910 – 1930
Gold Leaf Virginia: c.1895 – 1910
Gran Turque: c.1920 – 1930
Havana: c.1895 – 1910
Happy Medium: c.1895 – 1910
Hearts of Oak: c.1895 – 1970
Jim Buck: c.1895 – 1910
J.P. Fine Cut: c.1955 – 1965
Knockout Brown Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Latakia: c.1895 – 1910
Life Belt Cut Plug: c.1895 – 1910
Life Buoy Sailor’s Plug: c.1895 – 1910
Little John Mixture: c.1880 – 1910
Merry Thought ND
Medium Navy Cut: c.1895 – 1975
Medium Navy Cut RR: c.1935 – 1970
Mixed Flake No1: c.1895 – 1910
Mixed Flake No2: c.1895 – 1910
Navy Cut: c.1900 – 1910
Navy Cut De Luxe: c.1925 – 1970
Navy Mixture Empire Blend: c.1935 – 1940
Navy Mixture Med: c.1935 – 1970
Navy Mixture Mild: c.1935 – 1945
Navy Mixture White Label: c.1935 – 1965
Nottingham Birds Eye: c.1895 – 1910
Nottingham Mixture: c.1880 – 1910
No Name: c.1920 – 1970
No Name Broad Cut : c.1935 – 1945
Old Stocks Mixture: c.1895 – 1920
Old Virginia Cut: c.1880 – 1910
Old Virginia Cut Cavendish: c.1895
Old Virginia Rich Brown Flake c.1895
Pedigree Gold Flaked: c.1895 – 1910
Peony: c.1895 – 1910
Players Havana: c.1880 – 1910
Players Navy Cut: c.1900 – 1930
Players Navy Mixture: c.1895 – 1930
Players Navy Mild: c.1890 – 1930
Players Navy Medium: c.1890 – 1930
Players V.B.: c.1880 – 1910
Radford Brown Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Rain or Shine Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Rich Dark Cut Plug c.1895 – 1910
Robbie Burns Cut Virginia: c.1895 – 1910
Rod & Gun: c.1920 – 1930
Roll call: c.1920 – 1965
Rough & Ready: c.1895 – 1945
Roundhead Mixed Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Satin Brown Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Sherpa Brown Flake: c.1955 – 1965
Sherpa Brown Flake RR c.1955 – 1965
Sherwood Rich Brown Fl: c.1965 – 1975
Snowdrift: c.1895 – 1910
Snowdrop: c.1895 – 1910
Special Bright Cut Plug No3: c.1895
Special Flake Honeydew: c.1895 – 1910
Sweet as Honey: c.1880 – 1910
Sweet William Chewing: c.1895 – 1910
Tawny Navy cut: c.1895 – 1965
Toilers Shag: c.1895 – 1910
Top Crop: c.1895 – 1910
Two Flakes: c.1895 – 1910
V.B. Bright Cut: c.1895 – 1910
Whiskey Brown Flake: c.1895 – 1910
Whiskey Brown Flake: c.1955 – 1970
Whiskey Brown Flake RR c.1955 – 1970
Whiskey Rich Brown Flake: c.1965 – 1970
White Label Navy Mix c.1900 – 1940[/ultimate_modal]
