A Kingly Pastime

Great to see new interest in this celebrated photograph!   (very well known in Lawnmower Collector circles!)   

Mentioned previously on the Forum  on this link:-

It's King George V With A Mower | The Old Lawnmower Club

It is a  Thomas Greens of Leeds & London  "Silens Messor"   Looks like 14"    Design of which 1865-1887  - But I observe hockey stick / J profile front height adjusters so   1870's - 1887.

So the Patronized by Royalty Mower is 30 or 40 years old when this photograph was taken!

Hello 

Yes familiar with that image as the Royal Collection shared some images with us a few years ago, the mower is a Thomas Green & Sons Silens Messor 12/14in? and as it has curved handles it would be pre 1887, the photo was taken on 6th May 1915. (Perhaps the Kings gardener was off somewhere digging a trench?).

We have a different view of him as below, also Prince John, George V's youngest son who died at the age of 14, looks to be the same mower & I assume the same day as that would place him at around 10yrs of age.

I used the photo of Andrew & Edward at the South of England Agricultural Show last year with a Webbs child mower alongside, the plan worked as Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh (opened the show) visited our marquee & was quite amused to see her husband & we had a chat & laugh about it. She said she couldn't imagine him mowing the lawn today, & as for prince Andrew perhaps his innocent years perhaps!

One wonders if George and John had a go using the drawbar facility. Maybe they wanted to appear tough or perhaps just weren't aware of the concept. The trouble is '' you just can't get the staff ''  !