Duncan Briars

Duncan Briars is a family business founded in Manchester in 1899, ranked throughout the twentieth century among the well-known names of British series pipe manufacturing. The firm was founded by John Louis Duncan, son of a family in the tobacco trade, at twenty years old, with a few workers and two lathes.

The 27 July 1922 feature in the trade journal Tobacco gives the founding year as 1899 and also states that the firm's Zoie de Luxe series was produced in more than a hundred shapes.

From Retailer to Manufacturer

Duncan did not begin his career as a manufacturer but as a retailer: while acting as agent for a Manchester cigarette maker, he added a London-made pipe brand to his list, and the rest of his working life revolved around briar. His own workshop's first fifteen years were difficult; the business only gradually found a place among rivals far older than itself. Long-serving names were added as the staff grew: Phylis Hall in 1918, and in 1922 George Walker, who would later rise to factory foreman. Vernon McHardie, who took charge of general management and export in the early 1920s, opened the small workshop to European and world markets. During the 1926-1930 slump, while many small manufacturers shut their doors, Duncan's employees accepting a wage cut kept the company afloat.