Mike Duck (left) and Andrew Hall (right)
Mike has always been interested in horticulture. On leaving school he was an apprenticed gardener on Sir Ian Lyle's estate at Barrington Court, Somerset, now a National Trust property.
From his first day at work Mike was working with antique machines because the estate, like so many others, never threw anything away. Mike became attached to these old relics and they started to follow him home. Soon his garage was filled and his car had to stay outside!
Over the years Mike has gained an amazing amount of knowledge about the construction and development of these machines. His restorations are considered by many to be works of art. His first love is the Trust but on his days off he can be found following his other cherished pastime of steam trains. His motto is "To put the GREAT back into Britain".
Since boyhood Andrew has been interested in gardens and collecting. On leaving school he gained an apprenticeship is horticulture with Sheffield's Parks Department and also received training in botany while working at the City's Botanical Gardens. Following his training in horticulture, Andrew formed his own landscaping business and became a lecturer in horticulture at a further education college in Sheffield.
Collecting was always in his blood and it was not long before the clanking noise was coming from the shed at the bottom of his garden! Andrew has an uncontrollable appetite for collecting and it does not stop at lawn mowers. Another main interest is to collect, identify, press and mount examples of British flora and grass species.
He also serves on the South West Committee of the Institute of Groundsmanship and has been a guest lecturer for the Department of Landscape Technology at Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield MA, USA since 1999.