OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums The History Forum Video & Image Gallery History Pictures NEW MOON LAWNMOWER - Vaucluse House - c1926

Hello ODK History Lovers

All I have is a photograph ...

Whenever I look at old photographs and I see a lawnmower, I want to know the
mower's identity. This one was a challenge!

I feel there is real historical significance in it though. I think this is Australia's first power
reel mower in use at one of Australia's most important locations: a 21" New Moon
lawnmower made by Lark Parkes Limited of Sydney, and in use at the historic
Vaucluse House!

I remember visiting this house as a teenager on holidays in the late 1970s.

The image has been professionally dated to 1926, but the Photograph was found
pasted into an album and captioned 'Vaucluse House 1922.
I think the professional dating is closer ... and accurate.


Source: Caroline Simpson Library & Research Collection, Sydney Living Museums


You may view the Record and enlarge the image here:
http://collection.hht.net.au/firsth...?recnoListAttr=recnoList&recno=47875

TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART TWO - Photograph Identifiers
I am a stickler for fact and accuracy, but I am not beyond best guess and speculation.

I did not rush in to this one; because I recognised the significance of the lawnmower and the location.
It was only recently that I have been prepared to say something.

I have identified this as a very early AUS Lark Parkes 21" power lawnmower.
As you may appreciate, I did not have a lot to work with in identification.

No 21" machines have been found - only a couple of 14" machines.
The larger machine seems to have just been wider than the 14" job.
Evidence suggests the 21" was not self-propelled!

CRITERIA:
I have looked at the mower catalogues of the UK makers, and none of their mowers seem to fit the image.
I would like to list specific identifiers:

- The dating of the image;
- The top-mounted fuel tank and RH brackets (top and bottom);
- The apparent RH alloy side frame;
- The affixed RH crank handle;
- The handle design - cross braces (top, mid, lower);
- The handle grip position;
- The engine position and height of barrel;
- The foot stance and dress of the operator (suggesting push effort).



TO BE CONTINUED ...

PART THREE - Significance of Setting
This part is a digression in that I discuss the significance of setting in terms of time and place.

In Australia, the first power lawnmowers were made in the 1920s - about three decades
after the first overseas steam-powered lawnmowers, and about two decades after petrol
lawnmowers were introduced in the UK and USA.

That, arguably, the first Australian-made and Australian-designed power lawnmower should
be used at such an important setting is significant: -

Vaucluse House is an historic estate in the Gothic Revival style located in the harbourside
suburb of Vaucluse in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The suburb takes its name from
this house. Vaucluse House is a 19th-century estate with house, kitchen wing, stables and
outbuildings, surrounded by 11 hectares (28 acres) of formal gardens and grounds. The
house is managed by the Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales as a museum that is
open to the public. It is one of the few 19th-century houses near Sydney Harbour retaining
a significant part of its original setting. Wikipedia, 2018


SOURCE: https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/vaucluse-house-brief-history


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaucluse_House
https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/vaucluse-house-brief-history

TO BE CONTINUED ...