Accessibility

The park has many accessible paths, however there are also a number of rough and uneven pathways which can be difficult to navigate, especially in wet conditions.

The museum is wheelchair and pushchair accessible. Wheelchairs and walkers are available to use throughout your visit. Please ask a member of staff if you require assistance.

Assistance dogs 

Assistance dogs are welcome in all areas of the museum and grounds.

Baby Changing facilities

Baby changing facilities are available in the main toilets in The Spence Building and in the Park Cafe.

Baby feeding 

We are part of the Breastfeeding Welcome scheme. Breastfeeding and bottle feeding are permitted anywhere on the grounds, but if parents require more privacy, then please ask a member of staff.

Disabled parking 

There are six designated disabled parking spaces located within the car park, next to the Park Café. Follow the level path approximately 150 metres to the museum entrance. 

Fire evacuation and emergency evacuation procedures

In case of an emergency, including fire, staff are trained to help everyone evacuate quickly and efficiently and have been given specific training to help disabled visitors evacuate.

Once you are inside the museum, a member of our staff will come and talk to you about fire evacuation processes.

Lifts are not part of the museum's emergency evacuation procedures and are not designated fire evacuation lifts. A Museum Map is available from the Welcome Desk.

Hearing induction loop

We have a hearing induction loop on the museum Welcome Desk.

Lifts 

There are public lifts in The Spence Building and The Hall. If the lifts are not in operation, there are Evac chairs available and staff will assist you. Lifts are not part of the museum's emergency evacuation procedures and are not designated fire evacuation lifts. Site maps are available at main reception.

Relaxed Openings

We run Relaxed Openings every second Sunday of the month from 10am to 11am.

These are aimed at supporting the needs of people with autism, sensory conditions and dementia and take place at times when the museum is usually quieter.

We will turn off additional noises and sound effects, as well as turning up lighting in darker areas.

Toilets

There are public toilets located throughout the museum, the main toilets can be found next to the gift shop in The Spence Building, and in the Victorian Street. 

Accessible toilets are located next to the gift shop in The Spence Building, in the Victorian Street, at the entrance to the Hall and on the first floor Exhibitions and Galleries. 

There are public toilets in the Park Café and a Changing Places Toilet.

Wheelchair and walker available to borrow

We have a wheelchair and walker available to borrow at the museum. Please ask at the front desk on arrival or you can book before you arrive here Contact us

Wheelchair and mobility scooter users 

We would encourage wheelchair and mobility scooter users to speak to a member of our team before buyng your Museum Annual or Day Pass. Please email Contact us

As a grade II listed building, fire regulations dictate that there are limited number of wheel users permitted at any one time in certain areas of the first floor. 

Mobility scooters cannot be used within certain areas due to the limited space in our galleries and exhibitions. In these cases, we do have a manual wheelchair you can use if you are able to transfer yourself.

Our Welcome Desk and gift shop are both accessed from street level and our entrance doors automatically open to allow for easy access for wheelchair users and pushchairs. The Welcome Desk area is a flat smooth surface with a lower desk area to the left as you enter.