Percy Stubbs mowing grass, probably for hay making, in the fields at Sowcar Farm, Smithy Brow. Percy was the son of Henshaw Stubbs who tenanted Sowcar Farm probably up to c.1932, after which son John took the farm.
Notice how lean they kept their work horses in those days!
The mower is of an American design from the 1860s in common use up to the 1960s. They were often converted to be pulled by tractors from the 1920s/30s when farm horses were replaced by tractors.