If you got excited by our feature on the British Lawn Mower Museum then let us introduce you to two men who share your passion for lawn mowers and all things related.
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If you have seen the news recently then you have almost certainly heard of David Grisenthwaite. Mr Grisenthwaite, 87, has kept a diary of each time he has cut his grass for over thirty years. His records began in 1984 after he relaid the lawn at his Kirkcaldy home.
Although touted in the press as one of the dullest men in Britain, Mr Grisenthwaite’s amateur data recordings have been a great help in recording climate change, and providing evidence for an earlier onset of spring. The Royal Meteorological Society credited his work in a journal entitled “The Grass is Greener – For Longer”, as his meticulous records clearly show that over the twenty-year period between 1984 and 2004 the length of time the lawn needed mowing had increased by nearly one month. In 2004 his first cut was 13 days earlier than in 1984, and the last was 17 days later than when his records began. Mr Grisenthwaite also keeps records of improvements to his home, bus timetables, and other topics which interest him, so one can only hope that any new lawn mower purchases have been duly logged in the household records.
Meanwhile, in North Yorkshire, Stanley Hardwick boasts a collection of lawn mowers almost big enough to rival that of the British Lawn Mower Museum. Retired greenkeeper Mr Hardwick, called ‘The Lawn Ranger’ by his friends, has collected over 500 models since 1986. It all started when he was tasked with upgrading the green keeping equipment at Filey Golf Links where he worked for forty years. Seeing several old models destined for the scrap heap Mr Hardwick decided to rescue and restore them, and it carried on from there.
Due to his professional interest in lawn care equipment, Mr Hardwick’s collection will keep on growing as he seeks out special models that he wants to add to the collection. Some Victorian designs are on the wish list, and he says that if he sees a lawn mower that is not yet in his collection he has to get hold of it. Most of the collection is kept in a large shed in his garden, which is understandably kept in immaculate condition due to the arsenal of lawn care equipment at his disposal. Some of the lawn mowers are kept in the conservatory, which has just enough room for The Lawn Ranger to sit and enjoy a cup of tea with his favourite models. Predictably, Mr Hardwick is a long-time member of The Old Lawnmower Club and attends many events through the year, surely adding to his collection every time.
There are even two lawn mowers in the living room, and Mr Hardwick’s wife, Margaret, insists that he takes responsibility for dusting them. Despite the space his eccentric collection takes up, Margaret is happy to accommodate them, as she is “quite proud of him, it’s a great collection…if he’s happy, I’m happy”. One household chore she never has to do is cutting the grass, as that is definitely the responsibility of The Lawn Ranger.
Mr Grisenthwaite’s wife, Elspeth, is similarly tolerant of her husband’s quirky interests, and is quite happy for him to continue with his record keeping as it “keeps him out of mischief”. As the old saying goes, “it takes all sorts to make a world” and these fellows are certainly demonstrative of that fact.