Churchwarden

Churchwarden is a pipe type whose bowl can take almost any classic form, but whose mouthpiece (stem) is kept unusually long. The mouthpiece alone can reach 22-45 cm; total length most often falls between 25 and 40 cm. Because the long stem lets smoke cool over the entire distance before it reaches the mouth, the shape is known for a cool smoke. Within classic pipe shapes, Churchwarden is one of the rare types defined by proportions rather than bowl shape.

Shape and Smoking Traits

What defines the Churchwarden is length: the bowl can take any classic form — billiard, apple, Dublin, and so on — and the mouthpiece can be either straight or curved. Besides a cool smoke, the long stem also keeps the bowl away from the face, so its heat and smoke don't bother the eyes. This is also why German-speaking countries call similar long pipes "Lesepfeife" (reading pipe): smoke doesn't drift into the field of view of a reader bent over a book. On the other hand, the long stem shifts the balance forward; the pipe isn't suited to clenching between the teeth and needs to be held in the hand throughout a smoke. Cleaning also requires pipe cleaners longer than standard.

History

The shape's roots can be traced on two layers. The long-stemmed pipe tradition goes back to the clay pipes that spread across Europe from the 17th century onward; the long-stemmed clay pipes known as "aldermen" are said to have been shared, communal items in taverns, belonging to the establishment and passing from one customer to the next. Its formation into today's shape under the name "Churchwarden" dates to a later period, the late 18th to early 19th century. Records indicate that Eastern influence also played a role in the spread of the long-stemmed design in Europe; in this respect the shape bears a striking parallel to the Ottoman çubuk. With the spread of briar in the mid-1800s, the Churchwarden moved from clay to wood and took its place in classic pipe catalogs.

Origin of the Name

Where the name comes from hasn't been documented; a few explanations circulate together in the community:

• Officials who kept watch over churches at night (churchwardens) are said to have preferred this long pipe on duty because it didn't block their view.

• Another account has church officials smoking it by hanging it out a window.

• It's also suggested that the shape was named by comparison to long-handled candle snuffers.

None of these explanations is considered superior to the others; the name is accepted as having grown out of these kinds of associations with the figure of the church official in England.

Churchwarden Today

Gandalf and the hobbits smoking Churchwardens in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy (2001-2003) brought the shape a strong wave of popularity in the 21st century. Among the best-known mass-produced examples is the Churchwarden series from the Peterson brand; some German and Italian manufacturers also include this type in their catalogs. With its long stem and its evocation of a fantasy world, the Churchwarden is regarded as a shape synonymous with unhurried, long, quiet sessions.