At Haileybury School in Hertfordshire, Kress robotic mowers are playing a key role in helping the grounds team maintain consistently high standards across a 500-acre estate. For Head of Grounds and Gardens Andy Richards, the technology has become an important part of a wider strategy to manage a busy, high-pressure site more efficiently.

Set within a co-educational boarding and day school environment, the grounds are in near constant use.

“We’re a 365-day school,” says Andy. “We’ve got students, lettings, tournaments and events throughout the year, so the pressure on the grounds never really stops.”

With 17 winter sports pitches, cricket facilities and extensive amenity areas, the demands are relentless, particularly on heavy London clay soils.

“It’s probably the most unforgiving soil you could have,” he explains. “It holds water in the winter and then dries and cracks in the summer. The weather just adds to that pressure.” Haileybury’s journey into robotic mowing was not immediate. Like many in the industry, Andy initially viewed the technology with curiosity rather than intent.

“We were aware of robotics and where the industry was going, but at first we couldn’t really see where it would fit for us.”

That changed when noise became an issue on the main school quad. “It’s a high-profile area right in the centre of the school, but we had complaints during exam periods because of loud mowing. We needed a solution that could work quietly and out of hours.”

Early trials with other systems fell short.

“We tried a few other brands, but the finish wasn’t good enough and the mowing patterns were too random,” Andy says. “It didn’t give us the quality we were looking for.”

A demonstration from Kress changed everything.

“The Kress demo was a game changer. To see a mower cutting in straight lines and producing a proper striped finish was completely different. Everyone was blown away by it.”