Invalid carriage/tricycle
Maker and role
R A Harding (Bath) Ltd, Manufacturer
Production date
1946-1948
See full details
Object detail
Accession number
1978.650
Maker
Production period
Description
A motorised invalid chair. Believed to be a Harding de Luxe Model A invalid carriage, built in the late 1940s. The motor is a vintage Villiers engine. The chair has a red body and a black vinyl seat. Material cover roof, with cut out plastic windows, Front windscreen is plastic glas. one headlamp and three tyres. Wicker basket attached to the front dashboard. No doors.
Brief History
Invalid carriages are motorised single-seat vehicles, usually tricycles, designed for use by those with disabilities. They were produced from the 1920s onwards, and use similar technology to motorcycles. Mobility scooters are the modern equivalent.
Bath chairs were an early form of invalid carriage. They were invented by James Heath of Bath, England around 1750 and were so named because they were shaped like old-fashioned baths. Designed for use by ladies and invalids, they became popular in the spa resorts of England. The company which made this invalid carriage, R. A. Harding Ltd, were also situated in Bath. This model is a Model A De Luxe, which were made between 1926 and 1966.
MOTAT’s invalid carriage was made in the late 1940s in England, but had its roof fitted it at a later date. It does not need a license, Warrant of Fitness or registration, and all controls are operated by hand. For a person of limited mobility, such a vehicle would have improved their life considerably.
Bath chairs were an early form of invalid carriage. They were invented by James Heath of Bath, England around 1750 and were so named because they were shaped like old-fashioned baths. Designed for use by ladies and invalids, they became popular in the spa resorts of England. The company which made this invalid carriage, R. A. Harding Ltd, were also situated in Bath. This model is a Model A De Luxe, which were made between 1926 and 1966.
MOTAT’s invalid carriage was made in the late 1940s in England, but had its roof fitted it at a later date. It does not need a license, Warrant of Fitness or registration, and all controls are operated by hand. For a person of limited mobility, such a vehicle would have improved their life considerably.
Marks
R A HARDING (BATH) LTD / MANUFACTURERS / BATH / LUBRICATION / USE ONLY / ESSOLUBE CASTROL / ENERGOL MOBILOIL SHELL / FOR GRADES SEE INSTRUCTION SHEET Maker's Plate
FOUR MEASURES OF / OIL / TO ONE GALLON / OF PETROL / SAE-30 MOBILOIL'A' CASTROL 'XL' ESSOLUBE 30 SHELL X-100 30 ENERBOL Engraved
FOUR MEASURES OF / OIL / TO ONE GALLON / OF PETROL / SAE-30 MOBILOIL'A' CASTROL 'XL' ESSOLUBE 30 SHELL X-100 30 ENERBOL Engraved
Media/Materials
Credit Line
R A Harding (Bath) Ltd. 1946-1948. Invalid carriage/tricycle, 1978.650. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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