A bath chair—or Bath chair—was a rolling
chaise 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 Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
.
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 mi ...
,
donkey or small
pony with the usual turning arrangement. These animal-drawn versions were the forerunners of the
invalid carriage. 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 and Tunbridge Wells. Some versions incorporated a steering device that could be operated by the person in the chair.
]
See also
* Bathing machine
* Cycle rickshaw
* Invalid carriage
* Litter (vehicle)
* Rayleigh bath chair murder
* Wheelchair
References
External links
A 'Bath Chair'.
People's Collection Wales.
{{human-powered vehicles
Chairs
Mobility devices