Child's adjustable walking aid, England, 1970-1985

Child's adjustable quadruped walking aid, with crutch-like arm support and shaft branching into four rubberised feet, from the Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital, Alton, Hampshire, England, 1970-1985

Designed like a four-footed crutch, this walking aid can be adjusted to suit children of different heights. The four rubber feet at the end of the aid give extra stability. The item was used at the Lord Mayor Treloar Orthopaedic Hospital in Alton, Hampshire, England. Founded in 1908, the hospital originally specialised in treating children with orthopaedic conditions primarily caused by tuberculosis and polio. By the 1970s, the hospital was treating more general orthopaedic cases.

The walking aid was made by Ellis, Son & Paramore – a long established company who during the 1800s advertised themselves as “Artists in deformity”.