Invalid Carriage Register

The InvaliD Carriage Register

The Invalid Carriage Register (1995 to date) exists to promote and conserve these remarkable vehicles. We work with multiple partners including the heritage sector, curators, press and documentary makers and support public sector and private owners of vehicles. Issued after WW1 by the government, these vehicles were 3 wheeled hand-powered. By the 1970s they were bright blue, 3 wheeled and provided by the NHS and for one person only. Dr. Simon Mckeown, the voluntary director of the ICR and Reader in Mima School of Art and Design at Teesside University, collects Invalid Carriages, or Invacars as some designs were known. Initially inspired by his disabled grandfather who used many similar vehicles, he has over twenty in his collection, dating from the 1930s through to the 1970s. His group is one of the largest in the UK, and it is believed there are just over 300-400 left in the world today. The ICR works in association with partners, works to bring these vehicles back to mainstream attention. Please see the links below to find out how the ICR has secured work placements for four young graduates to undertake research and to complete 3D animations, commissioned books and worked with over 50 volunteers are associated with the Heritage Fund project 'The Carrying of Passengers is Forbidden'.
Project List
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View Project
Thought Foundation, Birtley, Gateshead - 2019
An iconic example of a 1970's Invalid Carriage and images of the human stories which go with them.
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View Project
Where Are They Now?
Please help us uncover more Invalid Carriage history.
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View Project
Preston Park Museum and Grounds, Stockton-on-Tees - January 2019
A talk about the History of Invalid Carriages.
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View Project
Museum of Liverpool - 2018
Museum of Liverpool DaDaFest 2018 - Invalid Carriage display
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View Project
St Georges Hall Liverpool - 2018
DaDaFest International 2018 Exhibition by Simon Mckeown
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View Project
BBC 4 - People's History of the NHS - 2018
The People’s History of the NHS, BBC Four, featuring Alex Brooker
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View Project
Invalid Carriages (Behindertenfahrzeuge) in a German Context - 2018
Hildesheim University Conference - March 2018 Germany Invalid Carriages - A  historic dichotomic anomaly
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View Project
Fighting Disabled People's Exclusion - 2018
Fighting Disabled People's exclusion and the history of the British invalid carriage
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View Project
Finchale Group, Durham - 2019
Finchale Group - Exhibition and demonstation
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View Project
Great British Car Journeys
Museum of Liverpool DaDaFest 2018 - Invalid Carriage display

Invalid Carriage Museum

The Invalid Carriage Museum is a web based, print based and currently private museum. It is a project set up for the not for profit charity Disability Art, Culture and History (DACH) and it is working towards Arts Council England Museum accreditation. It exists to capture and preserve Invalid Carriage heritage from across the UK.

The Accreditation Scheme sets nationally agreed standards for museums in the UK. It defines good practice and agreed standards thereby encouraging development. It is a baseline quality standard that helps guide museums to be the best they can be for current and future users.

Invalid Carriage Register

The Invalid Carriage Register has been in existence since 1995. It exists to track and record all known existing Invacars, Invalid Carriages and trykes to promote and conserve these important vehicles.

We advise and support their owners, who include private and public owners including curators of museums, from around the world.

We support owners in all manner of practical concerns including identification, conservation, restoration and registrations issues.

Please email the ICR for details.

Disability Art, Culture and History

DISABILITY ART, HISTORY AND CULTURE (DACH) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), a legal entity designed for non-profit organisations in the United Kingdom), set up in 2016 with registration no 1167102. DACH aims are specifically around disability, education and diversity with one of it's main directives is the promotion, support and conservation of Invalid Carriage history and vehicles through the setting up of an Invalid Carriage Museum as well as by running and supporting the Invalid Carriage Register. DACH is an entirely voluntary and not for profit organisation with no funds to disperse.

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