Thingymagig at the edge of lawns.

Now we are all intrigued ! never seen one but would love to know what it is .

 

Me too! What is it?

 

Wrap string around it to measure something. Super-straight lawn mowing? Why would you leave it on t' lawn though?

 

Could it be a rest/holder for some sort of signage?
Perhaps something like:
"KEEP OFF THE GRASS"

 

Nah, much more likely the sign said "Bet'cha don't know what this is?"

 

For playing quoits ?

 

That thingymagig really has me stumped.
Decided to do a Google Image search.
First attempt:



Not very useful.
Thought perhaps Google was getting confused with all the grass in the pic so edited it out.
Second attempt:


Even worse.
Thanks a lot Google.

 

From another forum, apparently they're called "Lawn Dogs".

Still no idea what their purpose is. Whether it is just decorative or some sort of symbol to tell people to keep off the lawn. I do know that I always saw them on lawns connected with "big" houses. Does that have any significance? Never saw them on a semi-detached lawn.

 

Nothing on Google for Lawn Dogs

 

Agreed, all it found was a film with that name, wooden dog silhouettes and curiously ways to stop dogs from lifting their leg (or worse) on your lawn.

 

If on a lawn beside a driveway and in a vertical position so that the 'dowels' stick out just beyond the edge of the lawn, they could be used to discourage cars from getting too close to the lawn edge. ???

 

I found this.....a few similar things here.

http://www.oldgardentools.co.uk/demarcating

 

I remember using Reel & Line "E" when I was a kid on my father's allotment.

I think these Lawn Dogs were just purely for decoration; when they were painted brilliant white they stood out against the green grass. I can't imagine them having any useful, agricultural or otherwise, purpose.

We need someone very old to tell us about them.

I couldn't imagine, for example, being called Lawn Dogs, that they would scare cats away from a lawn. Maybe, just maybe, that could be the answer. Would someone like to experiment and see if they keep cats off.

 

This is driving me nuts