Nice museum
4
4
Date of visit: October 2025
I am a disabled person. I have experience of challenges around: accessing toilets and moving around.
I use or have experience of: disabled toilet, wheelchair
Overall Rating
Good
This is a large museum right on the waterfront and it has loads of information and displays all about the history of the docks in Swansea. It was fascinating to see all the models, videos, images and much more. The museum is free to enter but some exhibitions and activities may have an additional fee. They have a Changing Places toilet available in the museum as well as a café and gift shop.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
There are three main entrances to the museum. One is behind Swansea Museum and this has buttons to make the doors open automatically. You can also enter via the café area. The other entrance comes out by a green space and a leisure centre and has automatic doors. The signage around the museum was clear and easy to follow. All the floorings were very smooth and it was easy for me to navigate through the building. There are a number of lifts that travel to the other floors. There are lots of different types of displays, text, images, sound, models, videos and more. The videos had captions and BSL available on them. All the text was provided in English and Welsh. The accessibility information on the museum’s website was really detailed and seemed accurate to my visit. You can get a map from the information desk and you can also get a digital one on your phone via their website. The website also recommended which hours the museum is quieter and they have a quiet room that can be used. Wheelchairs can be borrowed on a first-come, first-served basis. Mobility scooters and service dogs are allowed in the building. Induction loops, sensory backpacks and sensory maps are available from the information desk.
Accessible facilities: Lift to all areas, Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free access to most areas
Parking & Transport
Average
I travelled to this place by walk or wheel
There is no dedicated parking for the museum. There are a number of public pay & display car parks nearby. The closest bus stop is outside Swansea Museum on Burrows Place, around 150 metres away.
Accessible facilities: Public or on street parking
Accessible Toilets
Average
There was an accessible toilet located by the lockers, however, it seemed that the light cord had snapped so it was pitch black inside and I wasn’t able to use it. Luckily, they also have a Changing Places toilet which is located through the main part of the museum and there are signs to show where it is. There were signs on the door with a Changing Places symbol, symbols showing it was a toilet for all genders, and a first aid sign as it seemed this room operated as a first aid room too. The Changing Places toilet required a RADAR key to get inside and it also had a vertical grab rail to make it easier to open the door. The door opened outwards. Inside, there was a horizontal grab rail to assist with closing the door and the door handle lifted up to lock it. The door handle was large enough that it could be operated with a fist or elbow. A coat hook was placed on the door too. The toilet had a very strange layout and because it seemed to operate as a first aid room as well, it was quite cramped. The room is almost split in half with the door opening on the space with the bench, hoist and some first aid cupboards and then an archway with a curtain leading to the toilet and sink. The toilet had space for a left-side transfer but a large bin and two stepping stools had been left in this space. It had a height-adjustable grab rail and a vertical grab rail on either side. There was no lid but there was a cushioned back-rest. The cistern was mounted above the back-rest, making it quite high and the flush was on the opposite side of the cistern to the transfer area, so it was quite a stretch to reach it. To the left of the archway was a small sink with a single tap in the centre. The tap was manually operated and had a small handle which seemed like it could be operated with a fist or elbow. The tap twisted to control both the temperature and flow of the water. A vertical grab rail was mounted on either side of the sink and a manual soap dispenser was in between them. To the right of the sink, and opposite the toilet, was also a small shelf. An automatic hand dryer was opposite the sink. It was one that required you to insert your hands vertically downwards so some may find this difficult to use. The other space had a height-adjustable bench which was adjusted manually with a foot pedal and a small mobile hoist. The emergency red cord hung down past the toilet and had then been strung around the edge of the room. This meant that the cord couldn’t be looped or tied up and there was an access point around the room. The layout of this Changing Places toilet was quite strange and I found it really difficult to move around in it. I have a small manual wheelchair and I had a power attachment on the front but I did get stuck trying to turn around and be able to get out of the door again. If you had a large powerchair I would worry about the space available inside.
Facilities: Accessible toilet, Changing Places toilet
Staff
Excellent
The staff at the information desk seemed very helpful.
