What is a Churchwarden?

A churchwarden pipe is a tobacco pipe with a long stem. Some churchwarden pipes can be as long as 10 feet!

Churchwarden pipes were reputedly named after churchwardens who used to put their pipes' long stem out of church windows so they could smoke in church.

Long ago, churchwarden pipes were made of clay and were common in taverns, and sometimes a set of pipes would have been owned by the establishment and used by different clients like other service items (plates, tankards, etc.).

In Germany the style is referred to as "Lesepfeife" or "reading pipe," presumably because the longer stem allowed an unimpeded view of one's book, and smoke doesn't form near the reader's eyes, allowing one to look down. A chibouk (English: "stick"); also romanized čopoq, ciunoux or tchibouque) is a very long stemmed Turkish tobacco pipe, which often has a clay bowl decorated with precious stones. The stem of the chibouk generally ranges between 4 and 5 ft, much longer than even Western churchwarden pipes. While primarily known as a Turkish pipe, the chibouk was once very popular in Iran and other parts of the Middle East, as well.