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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Virtual Annual Rally 2020

Welcome to the Old Lawnmower Club's "Virtual Annual Rally" 2020. This online display was designed to replace our annual get-together at Milton Keynes Museum in May which was cancelled because of the emergency restrictions.

Although our members were free to display any mowers from their collection, each year we encourage exhibits in specific categories. This page lists the themes and presents a small selection of exhibits in that category. Click on the individual image to see more about the specific item or click on the section name to see all exhibits in that category on their own page.

There is a dedicated section on the forum for registered users to discuss the main themes of the rally.

 

Mowers with a Sporting Connection

We chose this theme because of the major sporting events that were originally scheduled for this year, including the Tokyo Olympics and Euro 2020. Mowers played a significant part in the development of many sports during the 19th century because they allowed grass surfaces to be cut quickly, economically and consistently for the first time. Mowers displayed will include machines designed for sporting applications, with a sports-related name, or general machines known to have been used at sports grounds.

 

Ransomes Automaton

The "Automaton" mower was produced by Ransomes in a number of different designs during the last quarter of the 19th century and first quarter of the 20th. We chose this theme so that our members and visitors could compare these different models and see the evolution of this popular design.

 

Line Markers

Although clearly not mowers, line markers were also important in the development of sports played on grass. Many members have examples in their collections and we wanted to display them alongside mowers with a sporting connection. Some lawn mower manufacturers also produced line markers are part of their wider garden tool ranges.

 

Lawn Edgers

Many mower manufacturers produced lawn edgers and trimmers are part of their ranges. Some of these were modified mowers while others were unique designs in themselves. Some manufacturers also produced edger attachments for use with their - or other manufacturers' - mowers. Although mainly used around flower beds and vegetable patches, some edgers were supplied to golf clubs, bowling clubs and other sporting organisations to tidy up the edges around greens. 

 

General Exhibits

Members often want to display their favourite mowers or recent acquisitions and preservation projects at our Annual rally. This is the section to see them.

 

View list of all exhibits sorted by exhibitor