The Hall & Duck Trust
The Ransomes Patent Motor Mowers
In 1902 Ransomes had entered into the production of their Patent motor Mower. The Patent was unusual as it covered a 42-inch ride-on combination roller and mower together with a 24-inch pedestrian lawn mower.
The combustion engine used was a Simms, which originally was made to power small boats but later Ransomes licensed the engine, re-named it ‘The Orwell’ after the river that ran through Ipswich.
Click on any of the photos below to see enlarged images
Ransomes took a 42-inch combination roller and lawn mower to the Motor Show held in Birmingham in 1902, where Cadbury's purchased it for their sports ground. It spent many years with them, until sold on in the 1920’s. The Hall & Duck Trust are the proud owners of this iconic mower, the oldest motor mower in the world.
Later in the same year Ransomes sold their first pedestrian 24-inch Patent Motor mower to Mr Herbert Westcarr in Herne Bay. Back in the 1990’s Ransomes held a competition to find out their oldest motor mower. A 1905 pedestrian Patent motor mower won, which was found in Norfolk.
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In 1904 a working demonstration of Patent Motor mowers by Ransomes was held at Buckingham Palace in the presence of HM King Edward VII. Two 30-inch machines were duly purchased. One, a ride-on 30-inch mower was successfully used at Buckingham Palace but today only the engine exists, which is held by the Science Museum in Kensington, London. The other was a 30-inch Pedestrian Patent Motor Mower which was used for many years at Balmoral Castle.
It was fully restored to its former glory and still maintained by the The Hall & Duck Trust.
A relic from 1906
The 25th Anniversary
Ransomes display
A 36 inch Patent mower of 1912
A 1907 30-inch front on veiw
The 25th Anniversary photo above shows the 24-inch Patent Mower Mk2 (left) with an Orwell engine dated 1915. The middle photo is a 30-inch heavy-duty Patent Mower purchased by Arthur Gilstrap Soames for Sheffield Park, East Sussex in 1913. The machine on the right is a 30-inch Patent purchased in 1912 by the Duke of Devonshire for Lismore Castle Estate, Ireland. All machines are owned by the Hall & Duck Trust.
Ransomes, although making a 30-inch ride-on in 1904, ceased production by the end of 1909.This was replaced by a 36-inch model.
The 1909 30 inch ride-on ceased production in 1910
Ransomes Saltex Cadbury
A24-inch Patent Mk2 1910
Today, the Hall & Duck Trust are proud to house a unique collection of these early machines which cannot be found anywhere else in the world
In 1908 it had been reported that Ransomes had sold nearly 200 machines, most going to notable estates. But the cost made them exclusive items, so most sales were still in manual lawn mowers. From 1902 to the outbreak of The Great War modifications and design changes were common in production runs, in some cases the modifications reverted back to earlier ideas. In the first instants it was chauffers, not gardeners, who used these early machines, many not returning from the Great war, making the early motor mowers obsolete.