RARE vehicles of a bygone era are being revived by the passion of one renowned artist, keen to share his collection with the world.

Simon McKeown owns one of the world's largest collections of invalid carriages, which were Government-issued vehicles after the First World War, used to help disabled people travel independently.

By the 1970s, the carriages were a distinctive bright blue, but were eventually discontinued with just 400 of the vehicles left around the world today.

Mr McKeown, a reader in Teesside University's Schools of Computing, Media and the Arts, hope his collection of 26 carriages will help ignite discussion about the social history of disability.

He recently received a Heritage Lottery Fund grant to explore and exhibit the neglected heritage of invalid carriages, which recently led him to appear in a BBC Four documentary on the history of the NHS.

As part of his project to find out more about the vehicles, Mr McKeown will present a talk, The Extreme World of 'AC cars, Invalid Carriages and Cripples, at 6pm on Thursday, January 17, at Preston Park Museum, Yarm Road, Stockton.

Admission is free and open to all.

He said: “There is a great beauty in these cars and we want to recognise their historical importance and present them in a way that will engage a whole new audience.”