People in ancient civilisations smoked pipes during various healing and religious ceremonies. By the end of the 15th century, after tobacco was discovered in America, smoking had become a common pastime for everyday people. From that time, tobacco pipes were fashioned from many materials ranging from gold and silver to corn cobs and clay. A popular material was meerschaum, an expensive, soft, white stone from Turkey. In the 1820s, French craftsmen carved pipes out of the wood from the growth on the root of a Mediterranean White Heath. This material became increasingly popular due to its durable, heat-resistant qualities. The growth was called ‘bruyere’, now anglicised to ‘briar’ wood. Bakelite was the first plastic made from synthetic components. It was developed by Leo Baekeland of New York in 1907. The material was heat-resistant and could be moulded into any shape and hardened to keep its shape. This invention greatly impacted the industrial world and the products available to the domestic market, making more objects available at reduced cost.This smoker's tobacco pipe symbolises one of the leisure activities of the early 20th century that has continued into modern times. The shape and materials of the pipe represent a point in time in the evolution of tobacco pipes, including the revolutionary impact that the 1900s invention of Bakelite had on objects available in the domestic and industrial markets.Smoker's tobacco pipe; a round brown wooden pipe bowl joined to a dark brown mouthpiece. The French pipe's bowl is made from briar wood, and its mouthpiece is Bakelite. There is an inscription on the pipe."French Briar Pipe"warrnambool, shipwreck coast, flagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime village, smoker's pipe, tobacco pipe, briar wood pipe, wooden pipe, smoking, french pipe, bakelite, smoker's equipment

These pipes came from the Warrnambool firm of Peter Hand Tobacco Company Pty Ltd and were typical of the pipes sold by that firm. The Peter Hand Tobacco Company commenced in 1958 and was a wholesale distributor of tobacco and cigarettes throughout the Western District until early in the 21st century when tobacco smoking was no longer a widespread habit in any community in Australia. The retail shop was at 97 Liebig Street Warrnambool. These pipes are of interest as they came from the Peter Hand Tobacco Company, a prominent business in Warrnambool for 50 years. They are also a memento of the times when pipe-smoking amongst men was prevalent. These are briar pipes with black Bakelite mouth pieces. All appear to be unused. .1 A brown briar pipe with an indented pattern .2 A brown briar pipe with a polished wood .3 A light brown briar pipe with a mottled pattern finish .4 A brown briar pipe with a smooth polished finish1 ‘Seville Special’ .2 ‘Real Briar’ .3 ‘Nording Danmark N 118’ .4 ‘Vavrs VZ’ (?) peter hand tobacco company (warrnambool), history of warrnambool