Bath Chairs

A Bath chair (aka bath chair) is a light carriage with a folding hood which can be opened or closed. At the time of their use, Bath chairs were particularly useful for invalids.

They were mounted on three or four wheels and drawn or pushed by hand. The Bath chair could be steered by the passenger.

History

The name traces back to the Bath chair’s origin in the city of Bath. James Heath, of Bath, who flourished before the middle of the 18th century, was the inventor.

The Bath chair shown above is exhibited at the Assembly Rooms in Bath. Bath chairs at first competed with sedan chairs but had replaced them by the 1850’s due to the fact that they could be operated by a single person.

The last Bath chair operator retired in 1949.