Access Guide
Summary (House Tour)
- View information about opening hours.
- Amenities in this building include: exhibition rooms, a tea room and historic interiors.
- The most accessible entrance has a slight ramp/slope and a door permanently held open.
- This entrance is the Great Hall Entrance in the courtyard.
- There are 3 floors once inside.
- Other floors can be accessed via: stairs.
- There is step-free access to the ground floor only once inside.
- There is restricted headroom at this property.
- There is a member of staff available for help and assistance.
- Staff/volunteers can describe the layout and access around the site.
- The following are also available: seating.
- This site is not part of the Sunflower Lanyard Scheme.
- The nearest toilet with adaptations for disabled people is beyond the exit of the visitor centre and to the right. View information about this toilet (new tab).
Route to (the Courtyard)
- From the visitor centre, pass through the open gate and proceed along the pathway for approximately 150m, then turn left.
Head towards the house and cross over the moat.
The pathway leading to the house and courtyard has slight slopes.
The entrance to the courtyard is straight ahead.
The courtyard provides access to the tea rooms, standard toilets, house, chapel and gardens. - The route to the area is step-free via a slight ramp/slope.
- Path surfaces along the route are tarmac and paving stones.
- The majority of the paths are wide enough for wheelchair users.
- There is no accessible shuttle to this area.
- The slight slopes are on the footpaths leading up to the house and courtyard.
Entrance (Great Hall - House Tour)
- The entrance surveyed is located straight ahead when you enter the courtyard.
- There is step-free access via slope at the entrance.
- The slight slope is over 150cm wide, with no handrails.
- There are double manual doors which is permanently open.
- The width of the opening is 150cm.
- The entrance opening has a minimum height of 200cm.
Entrance (Mrs Dale's Tea Room)
- The entrance surveyed is located in the Great Hall.
- There is step-free level access at the entrance.
- There is a single manual door which opens away from you.
- The width of the opening is 85cm.
Eating and Drinking (Mrs Dale's Tea Room)
- This is a tea room which serves hot and cold meals and snacks.
- There is step-free level access into the area.
- Tables can be booked in advance.
- There is full table service.
- Staff can provide assistance and offer service to tables.
- Menu types include: large print menus and handheld menus.
- Menus are easy to read (large clear font with contrasting colours).
- The following are available here: drinking straws, a portable card machine for payment, large-handled mugs and large-handled cutlery.
- Lighting levels are varied.
- There is no (or very little) background noise here.
- There is a clearly signed hearing assistance system.
- The hearing assistance system was tested and working at the time of the survey.
- There is a counter under 85cm high without a tray rail.
- The counter is 84cm high.
- There is not a section of the counter at a suitable height for a wheelchair user.
- There is step-free level access around the seating area.
- There are tables and a mixture of chairs with and without armrests available in the seating area.
- The seating area does not have: a priority table.
- The surface height of the tables is 76cm.
- Flooring in the area is not smooth and even.
- Where the flooring is not smooth or even, this is due to uneven paving/tiles.
Exit (Ground Floor)
- The exit is located on the ground floor of the house at the end of the tour.
- There is not step-free access at the exit.
- There is a single manual door which is permanently open.
- The width of the opening is 79cm.
- The exit opening does not have a minimum height of 200cm.
- The exit opening height is 178cm.
- There are 3 steps beyond the exit, which are unmarked, with no handrails.
- Some of the steps are not at the recommended height (between 15cm - 18cm) .
Tour
- The tour is self-guided but volunteers/staff are available to provide additional information.
- The tour takes approximately 1 hour.
- There is stepped access along the tour route.
- The majority of walkway widths are between 120cm and 180cm.
- The tour can not be adapted to avoid inaccessible areas.
- Areas with stepped access only can be experienced by visitors via a photo album.
- There is no (or very little) background noise along the tour route.
- Tour information includes the following formats: information board.
- The tour does not have a hearing assistance system.
- There are chairs without armrests at regular intervals along the tour.
- Flooring along the tour route is not smooth and even.
- Where the flooring is not smooth or even, this is due to uneven paving/tiles and uneven floorboards.
- Lighting levels are varied throughout the tour route.
Entrance (Upper Floor)
- The entrance surveyed is located in the courtyard to the right.
- There is stepped access at the entrance.
- The slight slope is over 150cm wide, with no handrails.
- There are 2 steps, which are unmarked, with no handrails.
- There is a single manual door which is permanently open.
- The width of the opening is 79cm.
- The entrance opening does not have a minimum height of 200cm.
- The entrance opening height is 178cm.
- There are 10+ steps beyond the entrance, which are unmarked, with a handrail on the right going up.
- The handrail does not cover all steps.
- Some of the steps are not at the recommended height (between 15cm - 18cm).
- This is a spiral staircase.
Exit (Upper Floor)
- The exit is located on the ground floor, at the bottom of the stairs from the upper floors tour.
- There is not step-free access at the exit.
- There are 10+ steps, which are unmarked, with a handrail on the left going down.
- The handrail does not cover all steps.
- Some of the steps are not at the recommended height (between 15cm - 18cm) .
- There is a single manual door which are permanently open.
- The width of the opening is 79cm.
- The exit opening does not have a minimum height of 200cm.
- The exit opening height is 178cm.
- There are 3 steps beyond the exit, which are unmarked, with no handrails.
- Some of the steps are not at the recommended height (between 15cm - 18cm) .
Equipment and Resources to Borrow
- You can borrow or hire the following equipment: manual wheelchairs. 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 centre and chapel. View more information about booking and collection of equipment.
- Powered mobility vehicles cannot be borrowed or hired.