A History Of The Lawnmower.

The invention of the lawnmower enabled people across the world to spend less time cutting grass and more time enjoying their garden. Before the lawn mower was invented, cutting the grass was a long and arduous process that involved the use of several workers with scythes. The scythe was much like a long, curved blade on a handle which was swept back and forth to cut the grass. This turned out to be a task that many preferred not to do and maintaining a lawn, especially a large one seemed like a waste of time.

The invention of the lawnmower led to the landscaping that can be seen across homes, parks and green areas around the globe today, and had it not been invented, gardens would probably look very different to how they do now. So who invented the lawn mower? And what was the reason behind it? Read on to discover all you need to know about the history of the lawnmower.

The very first lawnmower to be invented was done in 1830 by Edward Budding. Budding lived in Thrupp, near Stroud in Gloucestershire, England, and primarily created the lawn mower as a way to maintain and cut the grass at sports grounds and in extensive and large gardens. The patent for Budding's lawn mower was issued on the 31st of August, 1830.

Made from cast-iron, the mower was pushed from behind which turned the wheels which in turn caused the blades to rotate. While simple in its design, it changed the face of British gardens and turned gardening from a labour intensive project into a relatively easy activity which could be enjoyed by everyone. Ten years after his first lawn mower, its evolution began and animal powered lawn mowers became available. Almost sixty years after the original mower was invented, the era of the steam-powered mower began.

In the 1860's there were 8 models available to the masses and over 5000 machines were sold before production ceased. At the turn of the 20th century, petrol driven mowers entered the market and chain driven mowers pulled by animals became the first model of ride-on mower. In 1922 the world's first petrol ride-on mower was released, and since that time to today mowers still run on the same principles.

Of course, modern technology has seen the rise of more advanced machines that are much quieter than their forebearers, and which consume less fuel while increasing the speed at which grass can be cut. Blades now come in a plethora of variations, some operate by wheels while others hover above the ground, and there are now robot mowers which can self-operate to keep a law manicured to within an inch of its life.

The lawn mower made British gardening what it is today and even helped sculpt the rules of many traditional sporting activities. With its introduction, the appearance of the oval grass playing field arrived and so football, lawn bowls and lawn tennis gained popularity. From the humble beginnings of the lawn mower, the strimmer was born. This allowed better management of longer, wild grasses and edging and helped further push the boundaries of how a garden should be.

Without one man's simple idea, the great British garden would probably look very different from the ones we are so used to seeing today