The Hall & Duck Trust
Barnard Bishop Barnard Patent Noiseless Lawn Mower
Charles Barnard founded the business in 1826 when it was listed as an ironmongery in Norwich. By 1840 the business had grown quite rapidly, had a foundry and workshops in Pottergate, Norwich and was known as Barnard Bishop.
In 1859 Charles Barnard’s sons joined the business. With this the business name became Barnard Bishop Barnard.
The Ironmonger advert in 1864 showing friction drive Patent Noiseless lawn mower by Barnard Bishop Barnard
The rapid growth in the business came from the key products they were making, that of architectural ironworks, gates, stoves and fireplace surrounds. With the rapid growth in railways, their foundries were also instrumental in making the ornamental structures within the fabric of railway buildings and stations.
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They had invented a machine for making wire netting, which became the backbone of their business for many years, and exported the netting to Australia to control the rabbit population which was devastating the country.
A later advert in the Ironmonger for the mower in 1869
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In order, the photos show the Friction drive inside the gear case, the ornate gear cover, a close up of the restored mower in 1983, the mower (left) in production between 1863 and 1875 and the the improved gear-driven mower version (right) which was in production between 1875 and 1885.
In 1863, Charles Barnard and John Bishop Patented the Noiseless lawn mower. This was an interesting concept as it used friction drive, in the form of Indian rubber covered wheels for propulsion instead of the traditional gear or chain equivalent.
When production commenced and the machines were sold, it soon became apparent, that an extra drive wheel needed to be included in the sale to compensate wear and tear, as the friction wheels were only lasting a couple of seasons. By 1875 they had made more improvements, changing the motive drive back to that of gear drive.
It would be difficult to find an early example with friction drive. The Hall & Duck Trust has the only known example of a working machine. Barnard Bishop Barnard, in 1907, became known as Barnards Ltd. With other factors effecting the business in 1991, they ceased trading.