‘Punch, or the London Charivari’, September 20, 1873
I’m not sure when horse-drawn carriages were adapted to be pulled and pushed by people for use by the infirm, particularly at British seaside resorts. But excursions to the seaside became popular when the railway network was established in the 1860s, so I assume that’s when a demand arose for them.
Before that time, bath chairs were in use as an evolutionary step forward from hand-carried sedan chairs, though they had three wheels. The carriage featured here is interesting because it’s a four-wheeler, similar to that illustrated in the 1873 magazine above. If required, the steering handle could be supplemented by fittings for a pony to pull the carriage, at walking pace led by a guide.
1915 Carter ‘Trouville’ Invalid Carriage
with ‘Bournemouth’ wooden body
LENGTH: 91″
WIDTH: 41″
HEIGHT: 51″
Rear wheels: 31″
Front wheels: 18″
(Now sold)
According the the 1915 Carters advertisement, the ‘Trouville’ was a new model for that year.
However, the body on the Trouville has curved edges, while this example has more angular bodywork. So in my opinion it is fitted with the previous ‘Bournemouth’ body, shown the advertisement below it. It was common to use up old stock, which would normally be offered to customers as a cheaper option. It is fitted with the Trouville hood. The hood is shown separately further down the page.
With its with turntable at the front, this is a very rare invalid carriage, in very sound condition all round. The jobs required are:
The wood body (which has been treated as a preventative against woodworm) requires the front footrest to be made. The seat needs upholstery.
The hood framework is complete, but needs the hood material to be made and fitted.
Leather straps to be fitted between the curved bows at the front of the carriage and the front of the wooden body.
These are simple jobs for the relevant tradesmen, ie a carpenter, car hood maker and furniture upholsterer.
In 1915, after World War One had started, Carters (J&A) published an advertisement with a wounded soldier for the new model ‘Esego’, below.
FRAMEWORK AND SIDE IRONS FOR HOOD
