Argson self-propelled three-wheeled ‘invalid carriage’

Argson self-propelled three-wheeled ‘invalid carriage’, model R280 with chain driven mechanism, made by the Stanley Engineering Company, Egham, England, c1930-1950.

A number of designs have been developed that allowed users of wheelchairs, and what used to be called invalid carriages, to physically propel themselves independently rather than having to rely on others. This example is powered via hand-operated ‘pedals’ that drive a chain held within the steering column which is connected to the front wheel.

The Argson Engineering Company was founded in 1919 and was one of a number of companies formed after the First World War that supplied mobility vehicles to a market that had been greatly expanded by those left disabled by the conflict. In 1926 the company moved to Egham in Surry and was re-named the Stanley Engineering Company, though they retained the Argson brand name for their vehicles.