The Tower of London: Historic Royal Palaces

The entrance to the site is sloped and cobbled, but still traversable from a wheelchair without too much trouble. The inner courtyard is also sloped and cobbled. Quite a few sections have steps, however, all the core elements are wheelchair accessible (the crown jewels, the lower floor of the White Tower, Anne Boleyn's memorial, and most importantly the ravens). Disabled and carers tickets are discounted to account for not everything being accessible. The crown jewels section is fully level and well-spaced, but very dimly lit. The white tower has a lift into the basement, which needs staff to access. However, with plenty of staff around who are well-versed in operating the lift, accessing it in a timely fashion and without fuss was not a problem. Several disabled toilets were available on site. Car parking is limited, but tube stations and bus stops are available nearby.

Firstly I’d suggest when booking that you check their accessibility guide as certain areas aren’t accessible if you have a physical disability, since it is a historic protected building and they didn’t have lifts in those buildings back in the day. I went yesterday and my body hates me today from navigating the cobbles inside and surrounding in my power chair. Outside they do have mats down to make a pathway for wheelchair users and those requiring a flat surface, however the floor it’s on is uneven and I was tilting all over the place in my chair that it was better for me to go on the cobbles between the archway under Tower Bridge and the entrance. The flag stones were a welcome break from the bumpiness. It was also hard when there were other wheelchair users or pushchairs coming towards you as one of you had to move onto the cobbles to let the other pass. If coming from under Tower Bridge, go onto the pavement to enter as there is no ramp from the road onto the pavement, and a planter blocks the way to the left hand side. Elsewhere I’d suggest not going on the kerbs as I found both inside and outside the tower, that there aren’t always ramps down from the kerbs at the end of the pathways which lead to a lot of turning round and retracting my tracks. Staff were very helpful but it’s not the easiest place to navigate accessible routes. Signs are up for a lot of things but not wheelchair accessible routes to places. The map we got wasn’t that helpful and confusing at times, leading us to go all the way one way, and having to then go back on the cobbles the length of the tower. The Crown Jewels area is very accessible but I found it hard to see to navigate my wheelchair as it was so dark in there and the staff member didn’t like me using a phone torch on the floor to see. There is a travellator by the crowns and I wasn’t sure if this was suitable for wheelchairs but couldn’t get anyones attention so just went in it, then found after there was a wheelchair lift and alternative walkway. I was lucky that it was free for my Mum and I to get in as she works somewhere with free access to certain places, but if I’d have had to pay I don’t think it would have been worth it as the disabled person has to pay nearly full price adult prices and is unable to access the majority of the venue. I think if you have mobility issues this should be reduced as you can only access the Crown Jewels, a little bit of the White tower and the shops. I feel I missed out on a lot. We were told that Yeoman / Beefeaters would be willing to help with any questions we had about places I couldn’t access, and staff did seem very disability confident which was nice. I would never have been able to visit when I was able to walk with a stick as the cobbles would have been a major trip hazard for me, but it was doable, all be it uncomfortable, in my wheelchair so I’d suggest going in a wheelchair if you have mobility issues.

We decided to visit the Tower of London on our visit to London. We are a family of two adults and four children. My husband has MS and our youngest son is undiagnosed ASD. I had looked on their website and found they have yellow lanyards for hidden disabilities. They responded to my emails quickly and answered any questions I had. We booked our tickets online and I was able to get a free carers ticket with proof of my husband's disability when we arrived. Both my husband and my son were given a yellow lanyard which meant we were able to skip the queues. There wasn't much of a queue to gain entry but the queue for the Crown Jewels was really long. I approached a member of staff who immediately spoke with a colleague and took us to the front of the queue. We were taken through a different entrance and then straight to the front of the queue. They were so helpful and professional,nothing was any trouble. We had a great time at the Tower of London,made so much easier by their approach to hidden disabilities. Fantastic!