Preston Park Museum and Grounds, Stockton-on-Tees - 2019
On the 17th of January 2019, the artist and Director of the Invalid Carriage Register, Simon McKeown, gave a talk at Preston Park Museum and Grounds in Stockton-on-Tees.
In detail:
The chosen title of the talk, which was hotly debated on social media,
was “The Extreme World of AC cars, Invalid Carriages and Cripples”.
Although the terminology was frequently used in an historical context,
it was criticised by some and keenly defended by others, many of
whom identified as ‘disabled’.
On the night, a hardy bunch of people braved the freezing temperatures to hear Simon talk about the history of the Invalid Carriage and its users. He explained the history and politics behind the Invalid Carriages and how he came to be involved in trying to preserve them. Simon has an extensive collection of vehicles and images, some of which featured in his talk. The audience included motorbike fans, social historians and a retired contemporary mechanic who repaired a lot of these vehicles in the 1970s.
Simon also introduced a rare Tippen Delta which sits on permanent display in the space under the Museum's staircase. The vehicle is in honest condition with a few missing parts. Sadly, there is no information about how it entered Preston Park Museum's collection.
Thanks to volunteer photographer, Kev Howard, who came along to record images of the evening.
