The straight edge of the lawn and path is such a familiar thing that one hardly notices it. But this is a very recent development. The grass of parks and gardens used to meet up with gravel in all sorts of ways, and it was the new public parks of the 1870s and 1890s that created the neat strip of grass with a neat edge of soil. And it was the groundsmen of the boroughs who created these neat spaces that required the tools to create them. These tools have developed into a set of small specialist tools, still in use today for maintaining public green spaces.
The edging iron is probably the most important of all the tools for making public green spaces. The Sheffield made edging irons of the last 150 years or so are all of a similar pattern. They are made with a flat half-moon shaped blade, attached to the end of a long handle. The blade is pressed into the turf at a 90 degree angle with the foot of the user and then the cut is drawn towards the user with a smooth straight stroke. The turf is cut to form a sheer edge, almost like a brick wall. This is in complete contrast to the rotary edging blades that are attached to lawn mowers. These blades spin round and round in a parallel fashion to the ground and tend to feather the edge of the lawn rather than cut it at a 90 degree angle. There are occasions when a rotary edging blade is acceptable for making edges but these are the exception rather than the rule. The biggest problem with using a machine for edging is that the machine will cut along the path of least resistance. This can result in some quite irregular edges, especially when cutting along curved lines. A hand tool on the other hand can be made to cut along any line that the user desires.
A hand roller is a small, cast-iron tool, typically about 30cm wide. They are used to firm the newly cut edge of the lawn and to press down the surface of the grass within the edging. The roller is also used to firm the margin of a path made of gravel. The use of these tools is part of the high standard of work that is maintained by the craft tradition behind historic parks and designed landscapes.
So when someone searches for Grounds Maintenance Near Me they are no doubt expecting a lawn to have been mowed, leaves to have been cleared, perhaps some weeds to have been strimmed and generally for their outdoor space to have been given a bit of a tidy up. All of this is fair enough but the well-maintained edge to a lawn or the well-maintained edge to a path of stones or shingle is testament to someone with skill using the correct tool for the job.
