I bought this Bath Chair in fairly ropey condition a few years ago, and we have restored every aspect of it since. From the delicate green pinstripe paintwork on the wheels, to the matching leather upholstery. It's typical of the type of mobile chair that was in common use around Bath Abbey and The Roman Baths. Here is a brief explanation of the development of the Bath Chair taken from the cityofbath.co.uk website:

"This is a typical Bath Chair which was available for hire.They brought the sick to take the waters at the Pump Room or to bathe in the Baths. The chair was invented by James Heath of Bath around 1750. It gained in popularity and by 1830 had replaced the sedan chair as a conventional means of transport."

As shown in this Punch cartoon, perhaps "...the lazy" might be added to the infirm !