Clay smoking pipes were first used in Britain in the 16th century following the importation of tobacco from the Americas. Early pipes tend to have small bowls as tobacco was relatively expensive at the period. Stems have a larger diameter than with Victorian clay pipes. had a stem nearly a metre in length.

Are clay tobacco pipes still used?

The pipe making industry flourished until the beginning of the 20th century when cigarettes became more popular than pipe smoking. As a result, the commercial production of clay pipes dwindled and ceased in the 1960s.