Ransomes chosen for Elvaston Castle

By Alistair March 17, 2019 05:28

Ransomes has been chosen as the preferred mower of choice for the Grade II listed gardens surrounding Elvaston Castle in Derbyshire. The chosen machine, the Ransomes Highway 3™, was delivered by local dealer Sharrocks.

Elvaston Castle Country Park is a 200-acre site maintained by Derbyshire County Council, by a team of six gardeners.

Commenting on the new purchase, Landscape Chargehand Anna Morrison, said: “After trialling a few different machines, myself and the team decided to opt for the Ransomes Highway 3. It’s a good size, it’s versatile and can get into those tight spaces.

“We use the machine to maintain the formal lawns around the castle, and it’s great because it can deal with different heights of cut very well which means it copes well in a variety of conditions, especially when it’s wet.

“I have been here for seven years now, and we have a very experienced team of gardeners; Paul Dimmock has been here for 29 years and Geoff Doncaster has been here for 43 years! This level of experience is priceless, so I listened very carefully to the feedback from the team when choosing which machine to purchase. We all thought the Highway 3 was the best for the job, so I felt very confident when it was finally time to place the order.

“The back-up support from Sharrocks has been brilliant. One of the most important aspects of buying new machinery is the service you receive from your local dealer. We couldn’t be happier with every aspect of the process, from the demonstration to the installation and training; everything has been first class.”

Derbyshire County Council purchased the estate in which the castle lies in 1968 and opening it in 1970 as one of the first country parks in England. Today, both the buildings and gardens are registered as being of special architectural and historical interest.