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Collection, Preservation and Display of Old Lawn Mowers

Atco Centenary

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Hello All

I have been helping/advising Stiga Limited in the production of a video to celebrate Atco's centenary.

Information for the centenary has also been provided by The Club, Brian Radam (British Lawnmower Museum) & members of the Pugh family.

Various merchandise is available & can be found on the link below together with the video.

We have an Atco centenary display at The Museum of Gardening, Hassocks, West Sussex which is to be topped out with one of Atco's latest mowers which Stiga have kindly donated to be raffled to raise funds for our charity. Although the museum is not officially open until 17th May, the display is fully accessible for visitors to our heritage/garden centre.

Will post some photo's of the display soon.

https://www.atco.co.uk/centenary

 

 

 

 

 

RansomesRob Fri, 09/04/2021

Hi Clive. Interesting video, thanks for providing the link. I enjoyed seeing the early machines they produced. The only ATCO I have is a 1264, 12" push mower (1964) which is nice to use and gives a great cut. I will have 2 of them when I get around to sorting out the one I bought as a box of parts! Cheers. Rob

 

hdtrust Sun, 11/04/2021

Well Clive it appears you have searched well! A very good video by Stiga who owns a Brand name ATCO.

So what part is missing then.How about in the video it shows a 1923 ATCO Standard where the oval frame should have been represented,but does state that 900 machines were produced in the first year.

You say information has been provided by the Club,would that be the Old Lawn Mower Club or just certain members?

Even the President Keith Wootton knows who owns the original prototype of the Atco Standard which came from the Pugh family.

Please forgive me but I'm beginning to think you are re writing the history of the lawn mower in a commercial sense for gain!

The club was set up for enthusiasts and collectors to gain a common knowledge, and an interest in mowers for like wise people.

 

DJD Sun, 11/04/2021

The push type Atco above looks so very much like the very similar Panther models by Qualcast? A bit like cars eh? One manufacturer sees another's and simply copies it? I could be wrong of course.

hdtrust Sun, 11/04/2021

Dear DJD

You are on the right lines,you have to remember Birmid Qualcast owned at one point Suffolk (SIF) and Atco as brands even Bosch has owned Atco,in the trade we call it badge engineering.

The same today Atco is a brand owned by the Stiga group,who also own Mountfield,All the machines are now made in Italy,come off the same production line,and depending what time of day it is,has a different transfer,possibly the only part not transferable is using the real history of Chas H Pugh the founder of a family run business,who actually died before the innovation of the Atco lawn mower!

Lee Smallwood Sun, 11/04/2021

Great video Clive, very informative, good work from you, Brian, and the club my phone doesn't do it justice so I'll watch it on the pad later,

Let's all celebrate the centenary of a great brand an not get bogged down with who benefits from it, as long as it celebrates a milestone for a lawnmower company and is helpful to club members, who cares. 

UTC Sun, 11/04/2021

Thank you very much Clive1997, how very interesting and enjoyable and hopefully a boost to interest in the OLC.

hdtrust; to answer your question on who provided information just look at the credits on the web page, it says:

We would like to thank the following who have helped to create this lookback on the last 100 years of ATCO:

Brian Radam, Curator of The British Lawnmower Museum, www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk

Clive Gravatt, Curator of The Museum of Gardening, www.museumofgardening.co.uk

The Old Lawnmower Club, www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk

James Pugh

Drive Creative Studio, www.drivecreativestudio.co.uk

 

hortimech Sun, 11/04/2021

The problem, from my perspective, is that the name is 100 years old, but the company definitely isn't. Not when you have a company producing what are undoubtedly Atco machines but with a different name and another company producing machines that have no real connection Atco but are branded Atco .

I blame Bosch, they created this debacle, they have leased the 'Qualcast' name to Homebase and another company is selling what is a undoubtedly a modified Qualcast panther as a Webb, what a mix up.

hdtrust Mon, 12/04/2021

Dear Hortimech

I'm with you on this one,I want to know why the Atco training car is heavily featured,it was not invented by a Pugh,and nor a lawn mower,neither is Atco's Outboard motor.There is a heavy lurch in video on the Atco tractor which was bought in from the USA and badged.Also the leaning to all the Royal crests,which have to be bought in the first place.

I happen to run 2 Stiga machines commercially,but the same machines can be purchased in other colours by Mountfield and even MTD and as for dealing with their HQ in Plymouth, all I can say is they need to employ more efficient staff who are not Millennials!

hdtrust Mon, 12/04/2021

Dear UTC

You have not answered my question,I have read the credits myself.The OLC has always stated it does not own any historic literature,except to what it sells to members.The OLC is made up of individual members and their collections.So for my money its probably Keith who has helped. Or even committee members,Oh yes that'll be Clive then!

mikehpw1 Mon, 12/04/2021

Hi Clive

Great Video, and thanks for putting the time in, you and the other enthusiasts they consulted should be very proud that when Atco decided to create this historic film they asked the top experts. I'm actually a tad proud of myself, I got the bug only last year but so pleased to see three of my collection in your video, Standard, Deluxe and Groundsman. Once again top effort and looking forward to visiting your Museum soon. 

wristpin Mon, 19/04/2021

Quote

“problem, from my perspective, is that the name is 100 years old, but the company definitely isn't. Not when you have a company producing what are undoubtedly Atco machines but with a different name and another company producing machines that have no real connection Atco but are branded Atco .

I blame Bosch, they created this debacle, they have leased the 'Qualcast' name to Homebase and another company is selling what is a undoubtedly a modified Qualcast panther as a Webb, what a mix up”

Unquote

 

Certainly Bosch just asset ( or should that be brand stripped) the company. Even worse, the company, Allett,  that bought the manufacturing rights to the Atco cylinder mower range but not the right to market them as Atcos ( presumably they were out bid on the name) now find that Stiga are selling a range of  cylinder mowers under the Atco Clipper name. It looks as though they could be badged up Masports from New Zealand. One wonders whether Allett ever envisaged that happening or did the lawyers fail to dot the Is and cross the Ts?

Markus1510 Tue, 18/05/2021

The video is great. Thank-you! I tried to order Centenary products, I would very much like the postcard series and the sweet tin, but unfortunately Stiga / Atco is not able to ship to Germany. Atco lawnmowers are very difficult to buy in Germany, I have a Commodore B14 and a Quattro 16SH. But there are no merchandising products in Germany and Atco does not ship them. It's a shame and incomprehensible.

gtc Tue, 18/05/2021

unfortunately Stiga / Atco is not able to ship to Germany.

Maybe a UK member here could arrange to ship the items to you.

Clive1997 Tue, 18/05/2021

Markus I will be in touch direct as I have a supply of the merchandise & may be able to help.

Clive1997 Fri, 21/05/2021

Hi Markus

Your Atco Centenary memorabilia was posted yesterday & on its way to Germany, with a few extras, pleased we could help. 

Markus1510 Sat, 22/05/2021

Hi Clive, 

thank you very much! I'm very happy about this. 

Clive1997 Fri, 28/05/2021

The Atco Centenary Display at The Museum of Gardening, Hassocks. A few more pieces to add including the Cultivator, Weeder & Lawn Edgers listed today on the Virtual Annual Rally 2021.

 

Will Sun, 30/05/2021

I'm not an Atco man myself, but that is a very nice video Clive - very interesting, and your display looks super

UTC Thu, 03/06/2021

Clive,

I much enjoyed my visit to the Museum of Gardening today, Thank You.

So many lovely old machines and pieces of gardening equipment. They just don’t make ‘em like they used to, just compare them to the modern products in the shop.

Especially impressed with the Atco display for the Centenary. Took pictures to post but realise they’re all pretty much identical to yours!

Anyone coming down the M23/A23 with just the vaguest interest in mowers should visit, just a few minutes off the A23.

UTC

Clive1997 Sat, 05/06/2021

Thanks UTC 

Glad you enjoyed your visit, been a busy time last month or so with members from Norfolk, Essex, Northampton, Kent, Somerset, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex & two due soon from Devon & Cumbria so attracting a wide audience. Will always do my best to be on site if to meet up with a member if advised in advance, to include a behind the scenes tour!!

Did you spot the 1930's 24in Atco, having a rest on its journey from Norfolk to Devon!

 

UTC Sun, 06/06/2021

I did indeed Clive and an interesting mower it is.

My first reaction was 'what model of Atco is that with the coffee can attached to the side?' I then discovered it contained an old spark plug so I presume it's a tool box.

Is that original or an improvisation?

UTC

Clive1997 Mon, 07/06/2021

Yes it is original, as you say a tool box, copy of 1937 catalogue entry below, also image of a 16in I have 1935 often referred to as the New Deluxe following on from the 'Tank in box' . In the 1937 catalogue they simply gave sizes & didn't refer to a model name, but by 1939 they referred to them as 'Heavyweights' & indeed they are!!