Overview

Beautiful arts and craft house with picturesque gardens near York Race Course. Former home of the Terry family of chocolate fame and now in the care of the National Trust. Tea room, small shop. Step free ground floor and gardens.

Transport & Parking

There are local buses that stop nearby and car park area in front of the house. I travelled by taxi from York Station and it cost about £7, each way.

Access

There are a couple of steps without handrail or ramp at the front door. The front door was open when I arrived. There is level access to the ground floor rooms. The 1st floor rooms are only accessible via a staircase. The stairs have a handrail on one side only (left hand side going up). The staircase is wide and there are about 15 steps with a small landing mid way. On the upper floor the exhibition about Terry's chocolate factory is up a further 4 steps with no handrail but there is a column/ wooden post which I used to support myself when accessing the stairs. There is also another room off the hall which had one or two steps to access it. The tea room is on the ground floor. It had moveable table and chairs. the shop is only accessible via a couple of steps (not sure if there was a different route from the one I used). The gardens are beautifully laid out. From the back of the house there is a tiered terrace with steps and some of the garden paths slope. I visited on a sunny day but some of the paths may be difficult to navigate when wet. There is a laminated map that I borrowed from reception which showed an accessible route. I followed this and I felt I got to see most of the garden using it.

Toilets

I didn't use the toilet while I was there. There is a toilet on the ground floor and this is not disabled accessible.

Staff

The staff were very welcoming, helpful and were proactive in offering assistance. They informed me of the house and gardens lay out. They told me about and gave me a map for an accessible route round the gardens. They offered to help me with the stairs. All the staff were very friendly and helpful from reception, room stewards to waitresses in the tea rooms. The staff really put themselves out to help and I believe would do their best to assist any guest with a disability to make the most of their visit despite the limitations of the buildings layout.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

The house and gardens are stunning. The exhibition about Terry's chocolate factory is fascinating. There's a table and chair area where you can make your own chocolate box and another area where you can pack a chocolate orange. The tea rooms serve light lunches, cakes, hot and cold drinks. Their speciality is a chocolate orange cake, which I can highly recommend.

Photos