Access Guide
Summary
- View information about opening hours.
- Amenities in this area include: parkland, a historic house and historic interiors.
- The most accessible entrance has a steep ramp/slope (which bypasses any steps) and a manual door.
- This entrance is the house entrance.
- There is step-free access once inside.
- There is a team member available for help and assistance.
- Staff/volunteers can describe the layout and access around the site.
- The following are also available: seating, large print information, Braille information, a clearly signed hearing assistance system, a companion/carer discount, facilities for assistance dogs and maps.
- At the time of our visit the hearing assistance system was working.
- This site is part of the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme.
- Toilet and changing facilities available include: an accessible toilet for the use of everyone, a toilet designated as gender neutral, standard toilets and a parent and baby room.
- The toilet with adaptations for disabled people surveyed can be found to the right as you enter the car park.
- This toilet with adaptations for disabled people is approximately 40m from the visitor reception.
- The standard toilets surveyed can be found under the left-hand side of the house, by the house exit.
- There is a separate exit.
- The exit has steps and manual doors.
- The entrance can be used to exit by visitors with limited mobility.
- Only the ground floor of the house is open to the public.
Admissions
- At this location the following areas are free to access for National Trust members but payable for everyone else: all areas, including parking.
- This site offers companion or carer discounts.
Public Transport
- There is a bus stop within approximately 150m of the site.
- The nearest train station is High Wycombe.
- The station is approximately 3 miles from the site.
- For the latest travel options and information you can plan your travel using Traveline (opens new tab).
Parking
- This site has a car park.
- The vehicle route from the main road to the car park includes: uneven surfaces and potholes.
- This is an open air car park with a grass and gravel surface.
- Parking is free for National Trust members, but charges apply for all other visitors.
- Maps and information boards are available.
- There are 6 Blue Badge parking bays.
- The nearest Blue Badge bay is 30m from the visitor reception (kiosk).
- Obstacles from the car park include: uneven surfaces, loose chippings, grass and a lack of pedestrian walkways to cross the car park.
- There are not parent and child parking bays available.
- The Blue Badge bays are signposted but not marked.
There are 3 further spaces for Blue Badge holders outside the house at the top of the hill, from which there is step-free level access (via very slight slopes) around the edge of the house to the house entrance.
Please speak to the National Trust staff/volunteers at the visitor reception (kiosk) by the car park entrance if you wish to drive up to one of these spaces.
These spaces are also signposted but not marked, and are in a strip at the side of the driveway.
The surface of this parking area by the house is fine loose gravel, and there is fine loose gravel and grass on the route from these Blue Badge bays to the house entrance, which is approximately 160m away.
Equipment and Resources to Borrow
- You can borrow or hire the following equipment: a manual wheelchair. It is highly recommended that these are booked in advance, where this is possible. Please check the National Trust website for details.
- You can borrow these from the visitor reception (kiosk). View more information about booking and collection of equipment.
- Powered mobility vehicles cannot be borrowed or hired.
Visitor Reception (Kiosk)
- Access into the area is via a step.
- There is 1 step, which is unmarked, with no handrails.
- The door is manual, permanently held open and has a high colour contrast with the surrounding walls.
- The width of the door opening is 103cm.
- Internally the door has a low colour contrast.
- There is step-free level access around the area.
- The majority of aisle widths are under 150cm.
- There is no room for wheelchair users to manoeuvre (150cm x 150cm) within the majority of the area.
- The flooring is not smooth and even.
- Where the flooring is not smooth or even, this is due to carpet.
- There is step-free level access to the counter.
- The height of the counter is 99cm.
- There is not a low level section at a suitable height for a wheelchair user.
- The counter has a clearly signed hearing assistance system.
- The hearing assistance system was tested and working at the time of the survey.
- There are high stools available in the visitor reception.
- Services/facilities available include: a portable card machine for payment and a member of staff to provide assistance.
- There is no (or very little) background noise here.
- Lighting levels are moderate to good.
Entrance (House)
- The entrance surveyed is located at the rear of the house.
- There is step-free access via ramp at the entrance.
- The steep portable ramp is between 75cm and 150cm wide, with no handrails.
- The ramp overcomes the steps.
- Please contact a member of staff or volunteer for use of the portable ramp.
- There are 2 steps, which are unmarked, with no handrails.
- Steps are split with a resting area.
- All of the steps are not at the recommended height (between 15cm - 18cm).
- There is a single manual door which opens away from you.
- The width of the opening is 97cm.
- There is a small lip on the threshold of the entrance with a height of more than 1.5cm.
Tour (House)
- The tour is guided.
- The tour takes approximately 1 hour.
- There is step-free level access throughout the tour.
- There are doorways or openings used on the tour which are under 75cm wide.
- The majority of walkway widths are between 120cm and 180cm.
- The tour can be adapted to avoid inaccessible areas.
- Areas with stepped access only can be experienced by visitors via an information booklet.
- There is no (or very little) background noise along the tour route.
- Tour information includes the following formats: information booklets, Braille and multi-language audio.
- The tour has a clearly signed hearing assistance system.
- The hearing assistance system was tested and working at the time of the survey.
- There are bench seats and chairs without armrests at regular intervals along the tour.
- The following furniture is permanently fixed: some of the chairs.
- Some flooring along the tour route is smooth and even.
- Where the flooring is not smooth or even, this is due to carpet, carpet (deep pile) and uneven floorboards.
- Some of the flooring includes large repeating patterns in bold colours, which may look like steps or holes to some people.
- Some of the flooring has a very shiny finish, which could cause issues with glare or look slippery to some people.
- Lighting levels are varied throughout the tour route.
Exit (House)
- The exit is located to the left-hand side of the house.
- There is not step-free access at the exit.
- There are double manual doors which opens towards you.
- The width of the opening is 95cm.
- There is a small lip on the threshold of the exit with a height of more than 1.5cm.
- There are 7 steps beyond the exit, which are unmarked, with no handrails.
- Some of the steps are not at the recommended height (between 15cm - 18cm).
- Visitors with restricted mobility may exit the house via the entrance.
Outdoor Spaces
- This information is for the access point located beyond the visitor reception.
- There is step-free level access into the area.
- There is open access at the surveyed access point.
- The following outdoor facilities are available: parkland and woodland.
- The outdoor spaces include the following surfaces: concrete or tarmac, loose chippings, grass, gravel, compact earth and uncompacted earth.
- Footpaths are available in some of the outdoor spaces.
- The majority of the paths are wide enough for wheelchair users.
- There is step-free level access around some of the area.
- There are slight ramps/slopes without handrails and steep ramps/slopes without handrails in the main areas.
- There are slight and steep slopes throughout the park due to the natural terrain.
Notably, there is a steep driveway or grassy slope leading from the main visitor car park up to the house (this can be bypassed by parking in the Blue Badge bays next to the house).
There is a circular path around the lake which has a mixture of slight and steep gradients.
There are several bridges on this path around the lake which cross the waterways flowing into and out of it, as well as one to access one of the islands on the lake.
Most of the bridges are of a humpback style and have steep grassy ramps up and over them.
There are also steep grassy slopes to access the Temple of the Winds. - There are bench seats situated along the paths for people to rest.
Toilet with Adaptations (Car Park - Accessible - Right-hand Transfer)
- This toilet is located to the right as you enter the surfaced section of the car park.
- Access into the toilet is via a slight ramp/slope.
- The ramp is between 75cm and 150cm wide, with handrails on both sides.
- This toilet is approximately 40m from the visitor reception.
- There is pictorial and written text signage on or near the door.
- The door is manual, opens outwards and has a high colour contrast with the surrounding walls.
- The width of the toilet door opening is 88cm.
- The door has a twist lock.
- Internally the door has a high colour contrast.
- There is a small lip on the threshold of the doorway with a height of less than 1.5cm.
- The dimensions of the cubicle are 260cm x 280cm and it has a turning space of at least 150cm x 150cm.
- There is a lateral transfer space to the right of the seat but it is obstructed.
- The lateral transfer space is 190cm from the side of the toilet pan to the wall.
- There is a spatula flush on the non transfer side.
- The following grab rails are available: a horizontal grab rail on the door, a horizontal grab rail on the non transfer side, a vertical grab rail on the transfer side and a vertical rail on the right side of the wash basin.
- There is a dropdown rail on the transfer side.
- The following fixtures can be reached from the toilet seat: toilet roll holder and wash basin.
- The following fixtures cannot be reached from the toilet seat: soap dispenser and towel dispenser.
- The height of the toilet seat above floor level is 48cm.
- The height of the toilet roll holder is 106cm.
- The wash basin tap type is lever mixer.
- The height of the wash basin is 73cm.
- The height of the soap dispenser is 90cm.
- The height of the towel dispenser is 97cm.
- The height of the baby change is 99cm.
- There is a pull cord emergency alarm but it is not at a recommended height (within 10cm from the floor).
- There is not a shelf.
- The cubicle has: a nappy/incontinence items bin and a sanitary bin.
- The cubicle does not have a mirror and coat hooks.
- The following have a high colour contrast with their surroundings: the internal door, some grab rails, the dropdown rail, the floor and the toilet seat.
- The following have a less clear colour contrast with their surroundings: some grab rails.
- Lighting levels are moderate to good.
Standard Toilet (House)
- Access into the toilet is via steps and a slight ramp/slope.
- The slope is under 75cm wide, with no handrails.
- There are 10+ steps, which are unmarked, with a handrail on the left going down.
- The door is manual, permanently held open and has a high colour contrast with the surrounding walls.
- The width of the door opening is 89cm.
- Internally the door has a high colour contrast.
- The gender neutral toilet was surveyed.
- The width of the widest cubicle door opening is 54cm.
- The wash basin tap type is push.
- Lighting levels are moderate to good.
- There are hand dryers.
- There is a baby change facility which is not at a suitable height for a wheelchair user.
- The baby change table is within one of the cubicles, and is 92cm high.