Salesman's sample of Budding Lawn Mower
Updated: Aug 20
(Updated 18th Aug 2026)
I had a very pleasant surprise in June 2025 when I was consulted by Stroud Museum regarding a Budding lawn mower they had been offered, with only two original Budding mowers existing, was this going to be the third. When a photograph was received it appeared the main roller was wooden with a degree of woodworm, there was nothing in the photo to give an idea of scale, so unless the woodworm were as thick as my finger, it became clear it was not a full-size mower.
I was subsequently told that it fits into a Sainsbury's bag for life!
In July I met with the owner who travelled down from Scotland to meet me at her London flat where the mower was kept, all was revealed, it was a model, approximately one third scale measuring 255mm (10”) high and 350mm (14”) in length, it was in a Sainsburys bag for life!
The owner found the mower when clearing her late Aunts flat, her late Uncle being the nephew of Harold Randall from whom he inherited the mower. I do know of Harold Randall (1892-1973) who like me had a keen interest in the Ferrabee/Budding story. Randall was connected to the Ferrabee family having married Gladys Ferrabee in 1923 the Great Granddaughter of John Ferrabee who manufactured the very first lawnmower in partnership with Edwin Budding and financed his 1830 patent.
Randall did mention the model in a lecture he gave in Stroud in Autumn 1966.
From our extensive research two instances where the model was displayed for sales and advertising have been discovered, it was exhibited at the Royal Agricultural Society show in Norwich in 1849 and at a Banbury show in 1850. Earlier records are hard to trace, but the model probably dates from the early 1830s when the first mowers were being sold and the model would have been exhibited all over the country in those early years.
In the absence of major railway networks, new mowers were transported by canal with the model no doubt travelling in a horse drawn carriage to many destinations.
The model is made from Bronze/Gun Metal with the large and intermediate rollers made of wood, I would assume for lightness or ease of construction. The detail is excellent with the same early clutch mechanism (see images below) as seen on the earliest of the two surviving Budding mowers No. 1623. The large drive gear on the rear roller is solid rather than spoked no doubt to accommodate the very small clutch fixings more easily. All parts of the model operate which would have given potential customers an understanding of how this unique new invention worked.
The remnants of paint on the handles of the model confirms my thoughts that the original Budding mowers were a light Blue/Green with ornate decoration in a darker colour, not bright green and red as some believe. An early hand draw coloured image of the original full size budding mower confirming this is shown below.
The model is the most significant Budding find for nearly 100 years with the oldest full-size Budding discovered in 1932 having been on loan to us and displayed during 2025, full story here https://www.museumofgardening.co.uk/post/the-budding-patent-lawn-mower
It is fitting that the model should be displayed in Stroud Museum along with the Ferrabee lawn mower that Harold Randall donated to them many years ago, I was pleased to be in control of the model for just one day before delivering it personally to Stroud.
I collaborate closely with the curators at Stroud Museum exchanging information on early lawn mower history, I have been advised that the model is now on temporary display in their foyer until 1st Nov 2026, in due course it will no doubt find a permanent position, but check with them first if visiting after that date.
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