5
A great accessible place for a wedding as well as a visitor
As you can see, there is a detailed accessibility guide already for the castle and I can confirm that this place was every bit as accessible for me as it seems.
Apart from holding my wedding and reception here last May, I recently visited the castle with friends in June 2026. I was blown away by how every little thing has been thought of.
I've taken a few pictures to give examples of the accessibility of this venue; not just for the mobility impaired but for hearing impaired, visually impaired and people with sensory issues.
I had my wedding here in May last year (both ceremony and reception)
Ours was in the chapel. There is a secret room for smaller ceremonies but that is up some winding stairs and as such is not accessible for wheelchair users.
We were invited for several meetings prior to our wedding to get a feel for the venue and to ensure everything would be ok for access. I was able to try out both lifts and the toilets and to check that I could access the little room where you meet the registrar before the ceremony. That involves a small step down which I was able to do with assistance but they would accommodate you if that were not possible.
Nothing was too much trouble for both Sheldon who was our organiser and the staff at the Castle.
The Chapel was closed off from the public for our wedding at 4pm and we were able to have the whole place to ourselves from 5pm where our guests were free to enjoy the whole museum and its exhibits.
There were a few areas, obviously that I could not enter (dungeons) which was disappointing, but short of going back in time ... a LONG time, there's not much I could do there.
The exhibits are widely spaced apart to allow for wheelchair access, so you never feel that you are in the way or closed in, and everything is wheelchair/children height.
There are about 5 disabled parking spaces directly outside the Castle, accessible via the high street but if you cannot park there, you can park in the dedicated disabled areas on the High Street itself which is only 5 mins wheel away.
As you can see, there is a detailed accessibility guide already for the castle and I can confirm that this place was every bit as accessible for me as it seems.
Apart from holding my wedding and reception here last May, I recently visited the castle with friends in June 2026. I was blown away by how every little thing has been thought of.
I've taken a few pictures to give examples of the accessibility of this venue; not just for the mobility impaired but for hearing impaired, visually impaired and people with sensory issues.
I had my wedding here in May last year (both ceremony and reception)
Ours was in the chapel. There is a secret room for smaller ceremonies but that is up some winding stairs and as such is not accessible for wheelchair users.
We were invited for several meetings prior to our wedding to get a feel for the venue and to ensure everything would be ok for access. I was able to try out both lifts and the toilets and to check that I could access the little room where you meet the registrar before the ceremony. That involves a small step down which I was able to do with assistance but they would accommodate you if that were not possible.
Nothing was too much trouble for both Sheldon who was our organiser and the staff at the Castle.
The Chapel was closed off from the public for our wedding at 4pm and we were able to have the whole place to ourselves from 5pm where our guests were free to enjoy the whole museum and its exhibits.
There were a few areas, obviously that I could not enter (dungeons) which was disappointing, but short of going back in time ... a LONG time, there's not much I could do there.
The exhibits are widely spaced apart to allow for wheelchair access, so you never feel that you are in the way or closed in, and everything is wheelchair/children height.
There are about 5 disabled parking spaces directly outside the Castle, accessible via the high street but if you cannot park there, you can park in the dedicated disabled areas on the High Street itself which is only 5 mins wheel away.
For additional detailed accessibility information, please contact: museums@colchester.gov.uk
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