Pipe Brands
Lillehammer (G. Larsens Pipefabrikk)
A business founded in Lillehammer in 1844 that became Norway's only major pipe factory, working first in meerschaum and later in briar. Known for the GL stamp, it closed in 1979.
Lillehammer is the name G. Larsens Pipefabrikk gave to the pipes it made in the Norwegian town of the same name from 1844 to 1979. The company was the country's only industrial-scale pipe manufacturer; working first in meerschaum and later in briar, it sold beyond Scandinavia and, until the year it closed, represented Norwegian pipemaking almost single-handedly.
The Founder's Learning Journey
The man who founded the factory, Guldbrand Larsen (1815-1902), was a turner and wood carver born in the Ringsaker district of Hedmark. According to accounts, encountering meerschaum pipes in the 1830s drew him toward the material; but Norway at the time had neither the raw material nor anyone who knew the craft. Larsen set out to learn: first to Eskişehir, where the stone was quarried, then to a workshop in Marseille, France, where the craftsmanship was most respected. He returned home in 1844 and set up a small meerschaum workshop in Lillehammer. The business took hold, and the master himself came to be known back home as "Pipe-Larsen."
The Briar Era and Industrialization
The Rest of This Entry Is in the App
The full ISPE opens with your IPC account.
Related Entries
Last updated:
Source: Pipedia, adapted under the CC BY-SA licence.