The National Trust has brought in a new Toro Reelmaster 3100 riding mower for fine turf cutting in the magnificent gardens at Anglesey Abbey, near Cambridge.

Richard Todd with the National Trust property’s new Toro RM3100.

Lord Fairhaven designed a spectacular garden with planting for all seasons at his country estate. Today the gardens are cared for under the expert eye of head gardener Richard Todd.  

Richard has been tending the gardens for 40 years, some 30 of which he has been using Toro to help him and his seven-strong team care for the site’s 114 acres of land.

The gardens are made up of formal borders, wide-open spaces, wildflower meadows and endless lawns, for which a new Toro Reelmaster 3100 has been brought in to handle the formal, fine turf cutting around the house itself. 

Richard, who received a BEM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2013 for services to the National Trust and National Heritage in Cambridge, says: “The Reelmaster is a straight replacement for the previous Toro machine we’d used for the same purpose for 17 years.

“The team and I had always enjoyed using it and we knew we wanted something similar. We have a Toro Groundsmaster 4000-D, too, which we use for the larger expanses of grass, and for the smaller areas around the house, which require a precise finish, we use the RM3100. It’s a good combination.

“As you can imagine, I’ve used many machines in my time and Toro is a make I trust. They perform well and last well.”

Mike Taylor, Lely area sales manager, says: “Anglesey Abbey had been using a Toro Reelmaster for many years and were very happy with it. However it was time to update. They looked at many machines and chose the Reelmaster 3100 because it was the most comfortable, easy to use and quiet machine they tried.

“Plus, they required the machine for a high visibility area and demanded a very smooth finish. For that you really can’t beat the Reelmaster 3100. It gives one of the finest after-cut appearances in the industry.”

www.lelyturfcare.com