Gubbels (Big Ben)

Gubbels is a pipe maker that arose in Roermond in the southern Netherlands, best known worldwide under the name Big Ben. The family firm moved from a shop selling pipes and smoking accessories into wholesale trading, then into manufacturing after the Second World War, establishing the country's first factory to make pipes from briar.

From Shop Counter to Workbench

The story begins with a small retail shop that Elbert Gubbels Sr.'s father ran in Roermond. Sources differ on the shop's opening year, giving dates between 1870 and 1873; the company's own promotional materials use 1870. In 1924 the business shifted from retail to wholesale trading in tobacco accessories. Since no factory in the Netherlands made briar pipes at the time, goods were brought in mainly from France and England.

The German occupation of May 1940 shut down import channels, and trade nearly ground to a halt. These years pushed Elbert Gubbels toward building a setup that would not depend on outside supply. As soon as the war ended, he began production in Roermond in 1946 with a handful of machines and a small crew that included French craftsmen; according to the record, the first pipes bore the name EGRO (Elbert Gubbels Roermond). When the cramped workshop soon proved too small, production moved, warehouse and all, into a larger building.

Big Ben and the Royal Title

As the firm looked to expand abroad, it became clear that introducing a new Dutch name would take a long time. Rather than build a brand from scratch, records indicate that in the 1950s the company bought a small Amsterdam trading firm that held the rights to the Big Ben name. The ready-made name made it easier to distribute products across Europe as well as to North America and more distant markets.

The opening of the modern factory in Roermond in December 1972 was attended by the governor of Limburg, and at the same ceremony the firm was granted the "Koninklijk" (Royal) title in Queen Juliana's name. The official name thus became Elbert Gubbels & Zonen – Koninklijke Fabriek van Tabakspijpen. The Royal Dutch brand, launched to mark the title, also helped counter the perception that Big Ben was a British product.

The Last Factory Left in the Benelux

By the late 1970s, Hillen in the Belgian town of Bree was the only briar pipe factory left standing in the region besides Gubbels. This financially struggling firm was acquired in 1980, bringing along the Hilson brand, which was stronger than Big Ben in the German market. After the Bree plant closed, Gubbels remained the sole factory-scale briar pipe producer in the Benelux. In later years, licensed design series produced in collaboration with car brands were also added to the production line.

With the shrinking market of the late 2000s, the company downsized and moved to a more modest facility in Herten. It filed for bankruptcy in March 2012; records indicate the business was restructured and returned to operation within the same year. In Dutch pipe-making, Gubbels is regarded as the representative of mass production, standing in contrast to solo craftsmen such as Martin Romijn.