Super spacious and well-equipped Changing Places toilet
5
5
Date of visit: February 2026
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
Excellent
The Changing Places toilet at the Natural History Museum was tucked away in a quiet area of the museum. It made it slightly difficult to find on our own but we found a member of staff who was very happy to show us the way. It was a really large room with all the equipment you would expect there to be; a height-adjustable bench with shower facilities, a ceiling hoist, a height-adjustable sink and a toilet with bidet facilities. According to the Museum’s website, there is a second Changing Places toilet the staff can give people access to if this one is out-of-order for any reason, which is really useful to know.
Disabled Access In and Around
Good
The main entrance to the museum does have a fairly large ramp to reach the museum. The staff were quick to direct me through the simplest route into the building so that I didn’t have to navigate the winding queues. Once inside the museum, the ground floor, where the Changing Places toilet is located, is all on the same level. I didn’t encounter any ramps or steps as I navigated the ground floor. The flooring was all really smooth as well. It was mainly either mosaic tiling, wood or linoleum flooring. The Changing Places toilet is marked with the Changing Places symbol on all the maps of the museum. When you reach it there is also the symbol on the door along with a text and Braille sign.
Accessible facilities: Step-free entrance, Seating at regular intervals, Step-free access to most areas, Lift to all areas
Parking & Transport
Average
I travelled to this place by walk or wheel
The museum has a small number of accessible parking spaces available which must be booked in advance with the museum. There are also some public, on-street accessible parking spaces on Exhibition Road. The area is incredibly busy with limited parking elsewhere. The closest Tube station with step-free access is Earl’s Court. This station is on the District and Piccadilly lines. South Kensington and Gloucester Road stations are closer to the museum but neither of them have step-free access. On Exhibition Road, there is a bus stop on either side of the road. From these stops you can get the 360 bus with one stop for each direction. On Cromwell Road there is a bus stop where you can get the 345 bus. On Queen’s Gate, there is a stop where you can get the 70 bus.
Accessible facilities: Dedicated on-site parking, Public or on street parking
Accessible Toilets
Excellent
You need a RADAR key to enter; if you don’t have your own with you, staff can provide one from reception. The door opened outwards and wasn’t too heavy. It was a little bit tricky to find as it’s in a much quieter corridor of the building, but a member of staff was happy to show me the way. The door had a Changing Places symbol on it as well as a text and Braille sign. Inside there was a height-adjustable bench with shower facilities, a ceiling hoist, a privacy screen, a height-adjustable sink, and a toilet with bidet facilities. The height-adjustable bench was folded up against the wall with instructions on the wall about how to operate the bench. There was a safety rail on the outside edge of the bench which could be raised if needed. At one end, there was a shower head attached to the wall. The controls for the shower were set at quite a low height rather than really high up. Next to the bench was the ceiling hoist. This also had instructions on the wall next to it explaining how to operate the hoist. The remote was hanging freely from the mechanism that was attached to the ceiling. At this end of the room was also a retractable privacy screen on wheels. This was the most portable privacy screen I’ve ever seen as it was free-standing on the wheels at the bottom, rather than being mounted to a wall. The base would then separate into two sections as you pull the screen out and either end could be positioned anywhere in the room. The toilet was placed on the same side of the room as the door. It had a height-adjustable grab rail on either side of it as well as a fixed, vertical grab rail on either side. There was space for left- or right-side transfer. A sanitary bin had been placed against the wall on one side, but this wasn’t obstructing the area. The toilet paper dispenser was mounted to the wall on the right-hand side (facing the toilet). The toilet had no lid and the back of the toilet was a solid box that could provide back support. At the top of this was the flush and then a small colostomy shelf. Above the colostomy shelf were instructions on how to operate the bidet features of the toilet. The height-adjustable sink was located opposite the ceiling hoist. It was a wide sink with a large mirror behind it. The sink basin and mirror moved together when adjusting the height. The height was adjusted with a wired control which was stored on a hook on the right of the sink. There were also instructions placed on the wall about how to adjust the height of it. The tap was manually operated and had a long lever 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. Mounted to the mirror was also a manual soap dispenser. On the left-hand side of the sink was an automatic hand dryer and on the right a paper towel dispenser. Other features inside the toilet included six coat hooks at different heights next to the door, a large mirror next to the hand dryer, and two emergency cords which were both hanging freely to the floor.
Facilities: Changing Places toilet, Changing Places toilet with shower
Staff
Excellent
All the staff I interacted with were super friendly and proactive about offering me options that could make my visit better. I always appreciate when easier options are presented to me without me having to ask for them.
