Overview

When I visited the Fruitmarket Gallery, there was not even an exhibition on and yet I felt refreshed and inspired just from visiting the shop, the café – and the toilets of course. Before I even entered, I was drawn in by the colourful display in the shop window and soon enough I was inside, surrounded by pretty designs, cute accessories, fun trinkets and interesting books. Even though the exhibition spaces were closed as they prepared for something new, I still got to see some art: there is a mini-exhibition on the wall opposite the bathrooms and even the water fountain in the café is a work of art! Right opposite the entrance, you can also pick up some information about art outside of the gallery: a video walking tour and a leaflet about the Scotsman Steps. I won’t be climbing the steps anytime soon, but this way I can still see what it’s all about! I didn’t stay to have anything in the café, but I’ll be keeping it in mind for the future, as it is bright and spacious and the staff were very friendly. The downside to the lovely high ceilings is that it gets quite noisy, so if I were coming to work or have some peace, I would definitely bring my headphones!

Transport & Parking

There is some restricted parking along Market Street, which is paid and time-limited unless you have a blue badge. The most convenient public transport option is probably Waverley Station, which has a lift to the exit on Market Street. There are also bus stops on Princes Street, the Royal Mile and North Bridge, but even though they are close, there are significant changes in elevation along the way and the shortest ways from the Old Town will involve steps. I came from Princes Street and had no issues with my powerchair going down and then up again on Waverley Bridge, which is less steep than coming down Cockburn Street from the Royal Mile. If you come from Princes Street, you also have the option of taking the tram.

Access

There is step-free access via the door to the shop on Market Street. There are buttons for the automatic door with braille on the inside and outside of the door into the shop/foyer. It is a single door, but I could easily fit through it in my chair (62 cm wide). There was enough space inside to move about and turn without fear of knocking anything. As you come in, the front desk is to your left. There is a hearing loop there and when exhibitions are on, information is available in large print and audio formats. The café is past the front desk/through the shop to your left. The seating is a mix of booth-style benches and chairs with and without armrests. The counters are not lowered, but there is a gap between the counters that makes it easy to communicate with staff. There is an exhibition space past the café on the same level through a door. There are more exhibition spaces upstairs which are accessible by a lift that is to your right as you enter. I did not use the lift, as access was limited to the ground floor while the exhibition spaces were closed to the public.

Toilets

The toilets are along a corridor to your right and then left from the entrance. They are along the left wall, three gender neutral bathrooms and then the accessible one. The door to the accessible bathroom has braille signage. There is a freestanding clothesrail on the wall that the bathroom door opens on to, which could hopefully be moved if it got in the way. There is no door opener. There is a handrail on the back of the door. There is a horizontal handrail to the left of the toilet that can be lifted and moved out of the way as well as a vertical handrail fixed to the wall and a fixed horizontal handrail on the wall to the right of the toilet. The flush is a lever. The toilet paper holder is to the right of the toilet. There is space for a right-side transfer, however the larger bin is also in that space. The bin opens with a foot pedal, but there is also a groove to lift the lid up by hand. The toilet brush holder and a cubby for free period products are also affixed to that wall. There are vertical handrails on either side of the sink. The sink is a small wall-mounted sink and the tap has a long lever. There is a liquid soap dispenser and a paper towel dispenser above the sink. The red cord is to the right of the toilet and the sink. There is a long mirror by the door; there is no mirror above the sink. There is a hand dryer as well as a narrow wall-mounted bin without a lid and a colostomy shelf above it to the right of the sink. There is a wall-mounted baby change on the wall opposite the sink that folds down.

Staff

Both the staff in the shop and the café were very friendly and happy to answer my questions. They were also happy to receive feedback on accessibility issues that they had not previously considered.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Detailed allergen information is easily available from the café staff on request. When I asked about quiet spaces (since the main café space was quite noisy), I was told that this could be easily accommodated when exhibition spaces were open but with them close they were not so sure. I have since found out via the website that sensory backpacks are available that include ear defenders, which might have been a good alternative, but were not mentioned to me at the time. The venue has a dedicated section on their website on accessibility, including a video and audio overview: https://www.fruitmarket.co.uk/accessibility/ I cannot confirm all the information on the site, but I would note that the Changing Places toilets nearby are at Waverley Station and the Wetherspoons on Waverley Bridge, not the TravelHub.

Photos