Beautiful venue with excellent accessibility
5
5
Date of visit: October 2019
Overall Rating
Excellent
Was really impressed with the accessibility at this old venue. It's a calm, beautiful place to have a wander or a light lunch. Would make an excellent choice for an accessible event space.
Disabled Access In and Around
Excellent
A fantastic wide, stone ramp leads up to the main entrance. Double doors take you into a warm entrance hallway, then to a quirky corridor with stars painted on the ceiling. Half star dropped as the doors (not automatic) were perhaps not the easiest to open. Inside, the ground floor is open to guests for a wander (can't comment on any of the rooms upstairs, although did see a well sign-posted lift so I'm quite curious) through the various bright and airy spaces. No steps were encountered! Most of the rooms are empty (they're all cleared and prepped for events) which makes it the roomiest historic venue I've ever visited. (The emptiness doesn't make it less interesting - the strange painted walls and ceilings and lack of any kind of theme between the rooms will keep you entertained!). The cafe is again spacious with practical furniture, and this leads through to the gift shop.
Parking & Transport
Excellent
Lots of wide accessible parking spaces, on tarmac, right beside the front door. Perfect!
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
Gleaming accessible toilet! Modern, high contrast walls and floor, long mirror above sink which is ideal for various viewing heights, option of paper towel or hand dryer. Almost dropped half a star as the emergency cord was looped (not tangled) around a grab rail, but it did still reach the floor beside the toilet.
Staff
0Amazingly, we didn't encounter any staff. That's not to say they weren't available, but it did mean we could wander around the open rooms downstairs and it felt like we had the castle to ourselves! If you did need to speak to a staff member, the cafe is the best place to start.
