Friday 25 July 2008

The British Lawnmower Museum in Southport, England

The best bizarre museums are the ones with such a narrow speciality that they cannot possibly be commercially viable. And the utterly ridiculous British Lawnmower Museum in Southport is a classic case in point.
It forms the upper floor of a lawnmower shop in this traditional British seaside town, and it’s an exercise in slavish devotion.
The carpet is green (of course), and it seems as though they have tried to cram in as many lawnmowers as is humanly possible.
As visitors go up the stairs, a tape is played, and it explains the history of lawnmowers in such microscopic detail that it borders on scary.
Amongst all the creaky old models are some racing lawnmowers. Formula One it ain’t.
But most bizarre of all are the items that have been donated by celebrities. Most of them are ‘celebrities’ in the loosest sense of the word, but comedian Joe Pasquale’s strimmer is on show, as are Fred The Weatherman (from This Morning)’s shears and Paul O’Grady’s pink-and-fluffy lawnmower.
Brian May’s donation was unfortunately in for repair when Bizarre Places visited, but the star of the collection was there. Taking up one corner is the large ride-on mower given to Prince Charles and Princess Diana as a wedding present in 1981. A framed picture of them adorns it. How sweet.

Getting to Southport, England:
Nearest international airport: Liverpool John Lennon International Airport is nearest for UK domestic flights and some European flights. However, for most international flights – certainly ones from the US and other intercontinental destinations – Manchester International Airport is the best bet.
Using public transport: There are regular trains to Southport from Liverpool Lime Street station. The journey takes less than an hour.
More information: British Lawnmower Museum

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