Classic Project: Cylinder 'reel' lawn mower

In 1830 Patent no. 6081 described "a new combination and application of machinery for the purpose of cropping and shearing the vegetable surface of lawns". Remarkably, until that point there had been no commercially available mechanical device for trimming 'greenswards' (lawns) to an even height. Historically, until the Romans popularised the scythe in the 5th century BC, the only option for keeping your turf neat and tidy was livestock grazing.