A Brief History
Francois Comoy and his brothers hailed from a small monastic town in eastern France called Saint-Claude. Originally working with box wood and beach, one son Louis found out about briar and it’s potential for being the best pipe making material. This was the beginning of their journey to become one of the most prominent pipe makers of their day in Europe.
In 1879 Francois’ son Henri moved to London with a small bag of tools. Setting up in today’s Cambridge Circus he was the pinnacle in the perpetuation of Briar Pipes and is credited with coining the appellation “London Made”.
Other family members such as brothers joined Henri, followed by his two nephews Louis & Charles Chaupis. By the mid 1890’s the business required new facilities to be built and a factory was erected in Newcastle Place, Clerkenwall. A few years later in 1905 the American market was beckoning and trade was booming. This forced Comoy’s to build yet another factory in 1913 in Rosebury Avenue.
Through the turbulent decade of the 1910’s many changes happened for the company. 1914 saw the incorporation of the company to H.Comoy & Co. Ltd and around that time his two sons Adrien & Paul came on board. 1921 saw the establishment of the House Of Comoy and the appointment of USA sales director to Sam Zinberg.
The same year tragedy befell the company, Henri Comoy passes away at the age of 74. It was then that Louis & Charles stepped up as heads of the company. In 1929 the company joined “the merger” with Cadogan Investments Ltd. This merger was to help encourage a mutually beneficial co-operation between the companies involved.
By the time the Second World War was in full swing, pipe-making had been greatly reduced as all industry was focused in producing items for the war effort. The demand for pipes was still high, but supply could not meet the demand. It wouldn’t be until years later, in 1950, when a new factory opened in Aldershot, that the consumers could readily get their hands on pipes again.
Comoy’s remained a family owned company until it was finally taken over by Cadogan Investments in the 1980’s. Comoys of London’s range may be smaller than many but contains a great calibre of mixtures. Expect nothing less than the finest tobaccos and toppings when purchasing a Comoys of London tobacco.
Hello,
Would you have any idea where I can get some info on a pipe rack? Hasa Comoy’s blue and silver label with ITALY engraved into the wood. Specifically I’d like to know the type of wood this rack was made from and where they handmade. I thank you!
Donna
Hello Donna,
Although I cant tell you specifics pertaining to the rack you have you should be able to find a bit of background on our Comoy’s blog post here:
https://thepipeshop.co.uk/pipe-tobacco/comoys-of-london/
Hope that helps.