Ever proud of their heritage, the British have taken that appreciation one step further by showing pride in their lawnmower history. The British Lawnmower Museum, located in Southport, Lancashire in the United Kingdom, is home to a display of more than 200 vintage and modern lawnmowers produced by British companies. According to a statement on the museum’s web site, the museum is "devoted to keeping a small part of British engineering heritage alive."
Founded eight years ago by British Ex-Racing champion Brian Radam, the museum consists of five rooms above a retail shop. Radam’s interest in lawn equipment stems from early involvement in his family business, which started in 1945 and is now known as The Discount Lawnmower Warehouse Stanleys. Radam also spent time as an apprentice at a workshop. His collection of old mowers was started about 30 years ago during this apprenticeship as he saved several old mowers from the scrap pile.
The museum currently has only one sponsor – Radam’s business. However, Ian Britstone, the museum’s archivist, explained that they are looking for a larger location to be able to restore and display the additional 200 unrestored mowers they have in storage. For this to happen, the museum may need more sponsors. "We are hoping to expand to a custom built property, using lottery money. When this will happen depends on sponsors, but we live in hope," said Britstone.
The Collection
The British Lawnmower Museum boasts several unique mowers including a cordless electric ride-on mower, a genuine 2-inch lawnmower, the first solar-powered robot mower, some of the fastest lawnmowers in the world and a snow scooter and outboard motor each powered by lawnmower engines. Included in the collection are some mowers manufactured by companies not normally associated with the garden industry, including Rolls Royce and Daimler.
Featured lawnmowers in the museum that can also be found on the museum’s web site include the following:
- The first lawn mower invented by Edwin Beard Budding of Stroud in Gloucester: Because of the heftiness of the unit, the museum classifies this mower as a Two-Man Mower – one pushing and one pulling.
- An Allen Scythe lawnmower built in 1930: This mower was designed to cut very long grass in rough overgrown fields. One of several thousand made, the model the museum has is the 78th unit produced.
- A 1960 Greens Zephyr Special Edition mower (pictured at left): The mower was specially made for the Southport Flower Show in 1960. It was unearthed nearly 40 years later still in its wooden crate.
- A 1926 Jerram & Pearson lawnmower: Featuring a water-cooled engine, this mower also had a cast aluminum side frame. The unit’s cutters were designed to send the grass to the center of a grass box. Apparently, this lawnmower was a bit expensive, as the museum says it cost twice as much as a car in 1926.
In keeping with the tradition of fellow Brit Robin Leach, the museum would not be complete without "Lawnmowers of the Rich and Famous." Included in this collection are lawnmowers owned by Prince Charles and Princess Diana of Wales.
Archival, Restoration, Spare Parts and Racing
The museum offers an archival service that helps people learn more about their old lawnmowers. The museum has a complete collection of more than 600 lawn and horticultural patents beginning with 1799. A large collection of advertisements and memorabilia is also available from Victorian Times onward. Interested parties can fill out an online form on the museum’s web site and for a small fee get copies of this information.
Restoration service and location of spare parts are also provided by the museum. The restoration service is performed by the museum’s staff of three restorers that will "renovate your vintage lawnmower back to its former glory." The spare parts department can find parts for vintage and even modern lawnmowers.
The museum’s web site includes a brief history of British lawnmower racing heritage, citing the barroom as the initial brainstorming location for the inception of this sport. "The modern sport of lawnmower racing has its origins in a meeting of enthusiastic beer drinkers at the Cricketers Arms, Wisborough Green, West Sussex, one evening in 1973," begins the historical rendering of the lawnmower racing tale. It goes on to explain the early development of the sport and the first British Grand Prix in 1973.
The museum staff includes curators Brian Radam and his wife, Sue, Ian Britstone, Simon Britstone, research assistant, Robin Williams, wood restorer, Nora Pilkington, tour guide, Larry Goldwater, administration executive and engineering restorers David Eyre and Malcom Pye.
The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, except bank holidays. To visit the web site for the British Lawnmower Museum – which has been listed in Microsoft’s top 100 sites and was recently featured in TIME magazine – please click the following link:
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/gf86/index.htm.
The author is Internet Editor of Lawn & Landscape Online.
Images provided with permission from the British Lawnmower Museum.
