OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Curios and Stories GODIVA ENGINEERING - The Marvel Adventure

Hello ODK History Lovers
This is my Raiders of the Lost Ark story for 2016 - but about a ... lawnmower!

In late 2015, Geoff Nowak, from South Australia, sent me some perplexing images
depicting a most unusual reel mower described as a 'Marvel'. But there was
something not quite right ...

Geoff Nowak is the Grandson of Sid Bowditch, one of the great lawnmower designers
of the pioneering Scott Bonnar Company of South Australia [see Related Links].

Geoff sent me these images, not because of that family connection, but because of
his love of photography and his recording of SA history - museums, towns, industry,
etc. His Flickr Photostream can be found HERE.

The lawnmower was a collection piece held by the Saddleworth Museum, a small town
located in the Mid North region of South Australia in the local area known as the
Gilbert Valley.

The lawnmower was not so big - 18 inches cut - but had a massive twin-cylinder
motorcycle engine to power it, and I recognised it as a Douglas motorcycle engine.
There appeared to be signs of modification to the original machine. The alarm bells
sounded ...

With heart palpitating, I wondered whether the secret signature on this machine
said Scott Bonnar - because I had identified and written about an early Scott Bonnar
photograph depicting a large Douglas-powered reel lawnmower [see Related Links].

Was it possible this was, in fact, an imported lawnmower that Scott Bonnar powered?
Their first mowers, after all, were just that!





This led me on an adventure!
TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO - More Information
I knew that 'Godiva' was the famous brand used by Barford & Perkins, a company
dating back to the 1880s and with a factory at Peterborough, England. I assumed
there was some connection between Godiva Engineering and that original company.

My mind was set on three possibilities about this particular Marvel:-
[1] It was an original Marvel mower, designed as a motor mower and fitted with a
Douglas engine.

[2] This was a repowered lawnmower. At some point the original power unit had been
replaced with the Douglas engine. There were clear signs of modifications having
been made.

[3] This was originally a hand-propelled lawnmower, to which a motor was added.
This view favoured the Scott Bonnar connection. They started their lawnmower
business by adding electric power units to imported lawnmowers (Shanks, Greens,
etc.). In the 1920s it is recorded that they did fit a Douglas to an imported
lawnmower. It is also recorded that they fitted a Douglas to one of their own
machines, but it probably never entered production.

With these possibilities in mind, I asked Geoff to supply more images, and he
was most helpful and obliging. The beautiful maker's plate supplied good
information. It says something like:

18" MARVEL
SOLE MAKERS
THE GODIVA ENGINEERING COMPANY
SLOUGH BUCKS ENGLAND



There was evidence of modification. The oil feeder was mounted in a most
unusual place, and the steel work seemed way-too-industrial to mount a
light weight feeder. Other bits didn't look 'right' either ... The engine
was dated '1924' which added to the complexity - because it was about the
right date for such a lawnmower.




A most revealing photo was a close-up of the fuel tank that included
lubrication instructions. This would prove a vital clue.



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - Investigation
The last image [above] that Geoff judiciously supplied - of the fuel tank
and lube information - immediately proved a vital clue. For one thing,
'The Marvel Motor Mower' appeared on the transfer. This meant the tank was
an original fitment - the mysterious Marvel had given up three secrets here;
when one considers the fuel - it was 'petroil', a mix of oil and petrol used
for two stroke engines. The second secret was that the Marvel was a powered
lawnmower when it left the factory.

The third revelation was that this excluded the twin Douglas motor as being
an original fitment - it was, after all, a four stroke! [Look at the exposed
tappets in the Part Two images].

So, that told me what the Marvel wasn't; but I wanted to know what it was!

A final image Geoff supplied was of the grassbox transfer.
It wasn't in great condition, but it did reveal a confirmation of other clues:-

The transfer appeared to be a 'testimonial' that the Marvel had a heritage.
It was good evidence that the original company - Barford & Perkins - had awards
for lawnmowers dating back to the 1880s. However, the transfer revealed that the
maker of the Marvel was not Braford & Perkins - but Godiva Engineering of Slough.
That was the clue and the next approach ...



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FOUR - Breakthrough Number One
There were two memorable breakthroughs in this marvellous story.
The first was a careful search of the Australian National Library TROVE
database. I found a few ads and that was it. The rewarding thing was that
they gave a little detail and some poor newsprint illustrations. They also
helped date the Marvel.

The ads came from a Queensland newspaper from late 1924 and mid-1925. I had
no doubt this was the machine, even if the illustrations lacked detail,
specific design details matched. The two stroke was a Villiers 2-stroke of
the day. Interesting features were the 8 blade reel [cylinder] and a
'14 plate Villiers Clutch'.



All I needed was more information - and confirmation - of the design,
and hopefully, with a better image. That did come with a second breakthrough ...

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART FIVE - Breakthrough Number Two
The second breakthrough was an exciting find of a specific reference on
the Marvel in the great British Commercial Motor Archive database. The
article, from 19 May, 1925, was titled The Trial of Motor Mowers and it
was a summary of several lawnmowers conducted on the cricket pitches of
Regent's Park, London.

The lawnmowers included 24in and 42in Green's machines; 24in and 30in
Dennis Bros machines, several Atcos; 18in and 24in Auto-Mower machines;
16in and 24in Shanks' machines; 22in Shaw's Governor; the 22in New Godiva
and 18in Marvel machines from Godiva Engineering; and the Mitchell Automow.
There were also the G.N. Motors and the Rendle Limited mower attachments.
Specifically, the article said:-

Two machines -the New Godiva, 22 ins., and the Marvel, 18 ins.-were entered
by the Godiva Engineering Co., Ltd., of Slough, Bucks. The larger model is
priced at £60, and has a 2 h.p. Villiers engine driving by chain to a
countershaft provided with two lever-operated clutches, one for the roller
and one for the cutters, the rollers having differential ratchets.


SOURCE:
http://archive.commercialmotor.com/page/19th-may-1925/19
http://archive.commercialmotor.com/page/19th-may-1925/20
http://archive.commercialmotor.com/page/19th-may-1925/21

PART SIX - Conclusion
This was a particularly rewarding story in that identity was given to an
almost forgotten lawnmower that played its small part in our history.
It also played its part in British lawnmower history.

At about £75, it would have made the Marvel lawnmower an extremely expensive
lawnmower in the mid-1920s. It was a mower perhaps bought for a wealthy
South Australian estate.

It appears the Marvel was the smaller sister to the New Godiva for the 1920s.
Whilst the New Godiva was an all-new design - with plate steel sides - the
Marvel presents as having been based on a push reel-roller mower. Note how
there is a steel frame above the main frame that suggests this. I hope, some
day, that we know more ...



How the Marvel at the Saddleworth Museum came to have a twin cylinder
Douglas motorcycle engine on it will remain a mystery. It would be
tantalising to think that our pioneering firm of Scott Bonnar was somehow
involved; given their known use of the Douglas in experimental or prototype
machines. Who knows? I big thank you must go to Geoff Nowak in recognising
and recording this mower from our past.

The rest is history.
------------------------------------
Jack

UPDATE - New Photo Emerges
Keith Wooten, President of the Old Lawnmower Club, has found a better quality
photo of the Marvel from the OLC photo archive.

The photo depicts the unusual triangular frame connecting the handle to the
engine and tank bracket; the cone landroll clutch; and Villiers engine with
its unusual muffler, this time mounted on the LH side.



Acknowledgement: Thanks to Old Lawnmower Club Photo Archive
Source: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B4KlGMZlcH8RX2V2SFRDb19yZlE

Godiva Engineering advertised they were from Slough, Berkshire (Berks.)
Slough is about 35km west of London.

For the record, I discovered that Godiva Engineering was located at
the Slough Industrial Estate - one of the very first of such 'Trading Estates'
['industrial parks']that would be built around the world.

Scott Bonnar's use of Douglas engines:-
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=64619
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=64474

Mitchell Automow:-
https://www.outdoorking-forum.com.au/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/77739/MITCHELL_-_Powermower_-_c1920s.html



Saddleworth & District Historical Society Museum:-
http://community.history.sa.gov.au/saddleworth-district-historical-society-museum

Geoff Nowak Flikr Photostream:-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/94854784@N06/

Old Lawnmower Club:-
http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/mowers/moms/mp080-godiva-motor-mower
http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/mowers/moms/mp023-barford-perkins-godiva


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