Wheelchair or invalid chair used at Noble's Hospital
Date made: c.1920
Maker: unknown
Description: This wooden wheelchair was used in the original Noble's Hospital (the building which now houses the Manx Museum). It has a leatherette seat, with simple spoke type wheels set inside the frame. The whole piece has simple Art Nouveau forms. The straight arms end in holes through which a restraining bar could be passed, or perhaps a folding tray table fitted.
The chair might have been used to take patients outside on warm days. The new Noble’s Hospital had been designed with two open-air courtyards, to enable patients to take in fresh air and aid their recovery.
Henry Bloom Noble was a businessman and benefactor. In 1886, the foundation stone was laid at Crellin’s Hill for the first Noble’s Hospital, for which Noble and his wife had donated the site and an endowment. In 1922 the original Noble’s Hospital building was given for use as the Manx Museum.
Measurements: overall: 119 x 49 x 60 cm
Materials: copper alloy, cotton, iron, paint:oil, rubber, wood
Object name: wheelchair
Collection: Social History Collection
ID Number: 1977-0002
Subject tags : #MM100COLLECTIONS