2.5
Buildwas Abbey - not great for accessibility
The car park fits just 4 cars, you need to pay £2 for parking via a smartphone, unless you’re a WHS member when parking is free. The website clearly states there is a small number of steps from the carpark and a “grassy ramp” - no, it’s a grassy verge you’d struggle to get any mobility device up due to it being steep, and if you were to try and stick to the least steep parts you’d be met by a single Portaloo in the way. Once inside the Abbey grounds it’s relatively flat, but you do have to squeeze by a small entrance building that was closed when I visited; there are a number of benches dotted around and even a few picnic tables. The ruins of the Abbey can be accessed mostly via uneven ground and a few small steps that are formed by the ruins themselves, and to get inside some “indoor” areas you must use steps. It’s not a very big location so could easily be explored in less than an hour depending on if you wanted to read all the info signs about the ruins, but unless you’re able to mobilise on foot it’s not suitable. Some areas are cordoned off due to the weeds growing between the bricks, signage states there is a risk of the walls crumbling. It was nice to walk around on a sunny day. Dogs are welcome when kept on lead and there are a couple of manky water bowls by the entrance. The Abbey is a few minutes drive to Ironbridge which has disabled parking and toilets, as well as an array of pubs/shops and a lovely park with flat grounds which are worth a visit once done at the Abbey. My brother who has Autism visited with me and didn’t find it over stimulating at all; it was rather quiet with just a few couples dotted around speaking quietly.
The car park fits just 4 cars, you need to pay £2 for parking via a smartphone, unless you’re a WHS member when parking is free. The website clearly states there is a small number of steps from the carpark and a “grassy ramp” - no, it’s a grassy verge you’d struggle to get any mobility device up due to it being steep, and if you were to try and stick to the least steep parts you’d be met by a single Portaloo in the way. Once inside the Abbey grounds it’s relatively flat, but you do have to squeeze by a small entrance building that was closed when I visited; there are a number of benches dotted around and even a few picnic tables. The ruins of the Abbey can be accessed mostly via uneven ground and a few small steps that are formed by the ruins themselves, and to get inside some “indoor” areas you must use steps. It’s not a very big location so could easily be explored in less than an hour depending on if you wanted to read all the info signs about the ruins, but unless you’re able to mobilise on foot it’s not suitable. Some areas are cordoned off due to the weeds growing between the bricks, signage states there is a risk of the walls crumbling. It was nice to walk around on a sunny day. Dogs are welcome when kept on lead and there are a couple of manky water bowls by the entrance. The Abbey is a few minutes drive to Ironbridge which has disabled parking and toilets, as well as an array of pubs/shops and a lovely park with flat grounds which are worth a visit once done at the Abbey. My brother who has Autism visited with me and didn’t find it over stimulating at all; it was rather quiet with just a few couples dotted around speaking quietly.
