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A bath chair—or Bath chair—was a rolling
A 'Bath Chair'.
People's Collection Wales. {{human-powered vehicles Chairs Mobility devices
A bath chair—or Bath chair—was a rolling chaise
A one-horse chaise
A three-wheeled "Handchaise", Germany, around 1900, designed to be pushed by a person
A chaise, sometimes called chay or shay, is a light two- or four-wheeled traveling or pleasure carriage for one or two people with a folding ...
or light carriage for one person with a folding hood, which could be open or closed. Used especially by disabled persons, it was mounted on three or four wheels and drawn or pushed by hand. It is so named from its origin in Bath, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
.
If required, the chair could also be mounted on four wheels and drawn by a horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
, donkey or small pony
A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...
with the usual turning arrangement. These animal-drawn versions were the forerunners of the invalid carriage
Invalid carriages were usually single seater road vehicles, buggies, or self-propelled vehicles for disabled people. They pre-dated modern electric mobility scooters and, from the 1920s, were generally powered by small gasoline/petrol engines, alt ...
. James Heath, of Bath, who flourished before the middle of the 18th century, was the inventor of the bath,chair. where bathing in the Roman Baths or visiting the nearby Pump Room was popular amongst sick visitors.
Later versions were a type of wheelchair which is pushed by an attendant rather than pulled by an animal. In the 19th century they were often seen at spa resorts such as Buxton
Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in Kent, England, southeast of central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone geology is exemplified by the rock formation High Rocks. T ...
. Some versions incorporated a steering device that could be operated by the person in the chair.
See also
*Cycle rickshaw
The cycle rickshaw is a small-scale local means of transport. It is a type of hatchback tricycle designed to carry passengers on a for-hire basis. It is also known by a variety of other names such as bike taxi, velotaxi, pedicab, bikecab, ...
* Invalid carriage
Invalid carriages were usually single seater road vehicles, buggies, or self-propelled vehicles for disabled people. They pre-dated modern electric mobility scooters and, from the 1920s, were generally powered by small gasoline/petrol engines, alt ...
* Litter (vehicle)
* Rayleigh bath chair murder
The Rayleigh bath chair murder occurred in Rayleigh, Essex, England in 1943.
The victim was Archibald Brown, aged 47. He and his wife Doris Lucy Brown lived in London Hill, Rayleigh, Essex and had two sons, Eric and Collin. Due to a motorcycle ...
* Wheelchair
References
External links
A 'Bath Chair'.
People's Collection Wales. {{human-powered vehicles Chairs Mobility devices