Colin Herbert Bellingham, from the suburb of Opawa, Christchurch filed his patent on the 9th November 1954. Patent number 110384 was published on the 11th August 1955, namely an Improved Grass-Cutting Machine, a Mower without Wheels – Rotary Blade Type. His machine consists of a housing carrying an electric motor and cutting blade, and a handle with the ability to pivot. The housing is in the form of a cylinder, open at one end with an outer flanged portion adjacent to the open end. The flange is ‘adapted to bear on a surface and to support the cutter in a desired position relative to such surface”. It consists of a collar forming a sliding fit over the curved wall of the housing, adjustable with the use of three bolts and wing nuts. This machine was designed to cut grass on sloping banks and lawn edges, where it is usually difficult to cut grass with know grass cutting machines. When used on sloping banks, the mower is swung to and fro over the grassy surface in a pendulum like movement.
I wasn’t aware if any examples existed or if it had even gone into production until one appeared on a local internet auction site late last year. BELLBANK, bearing the patent number 110384, was manufactured by Richardson McCabe and Co. Ltd (a machinery supplies company) in their Christchurch factory. According to a former employee, they were in manufacture when he joined the company in the early 1960’s. He thought they were a bowling green edger, copied from an imported item. Quite a few units were sold annually. The name BELLBANK is probably a combination of the two words BELL (the inventor, Colin Bellingham) and BANK, designed to be used on sloping banks. This production model appears to have a fixed flange, not the adjustable flange mentioned in the patent. It has also been modified with the addition of three wheels. I’m not sure if the electric motor is original to this machine, presently it has an English manufactured Klaxon, 1/8 hp single phase 230/250 volt example.
