Meeting explores pipes and pipe smoking

The meeting was well attended. Kath entertained the audience with a very factual and humorous presentation showing the historical beginnings of pipes and smoking. She began by donning her smoking jacket and hat, and sitting on her very own smoking chair as would have been used by gentlemen about town in the past.

Tobacco was first brought to the UK by Sir Francis Drake and was made popular by Walter Raleigh. It’s said that one of his servants saw him with smoke coming out of his mouth and threw a bucket of water over him to “put him out”. Whether this is true or not we’ll probably never know, but what we do know is that smoking became widely popular.

The audience were shown images of the earliest pipes, made from stone, through to the pipes that we would easily recognise today. Pipes have been made from various materials, stone, clay, wood, porcelain and Measham and in so many styles, from basic bowls with a stem to highly decorated pipes depicting whole scenes or characters. Kath had even brought some of her own collection in for the audience to see. Pipe smoking was very popular, with the size and decoration of your pipe being used almost as a status symbol, or merely to show off. Pipes were made to remember people places and happenings. In fact, no subject was out of bounds, even erotica!

Kath, a member of the Pipe Academy (Academie Internationale De La Pipe) amused the audience with stories about the characters that were depicted in some of the pipes.

Thank you to all who attended and those who helped to organise the meeting. Our next Speaker Meeting will be held on Friday, March 20.

Stone (Staffs) & District u3a Speaker Meetings are held regularly throughout the year and are open to non-members.

If you are interested in any of our groups, or would like to volunteer to run a group yourself, please take a look at our website Stone (Staffs) and District - Keep active (in mind and body), enjoy socialising, for those who are retired or not in full time employment. Membership costs just £50 per year and this allows you to attend as many groups as you like, that equates to less than £1 per week. Some groups may request a small donation towards refreshments.