Accessibility Guide for Haden Hill House Museum

Travel by public transport

You can get to Haden Hill House Museum by bus and train.

Buses run from Halesowen along the Halesowen road and you can get off near the fire station. You can plan your journey here https://www.tfwm.org.uk/ The bus stop is 0.3 miles / 0.5 km from Haden Hill House Museum.

The nearest train station is Old Hill Train Station. The train station is 0.5 miles / 0.8 km from Haden Hill House Museum.

Old Hill train station is around a half mile walk away. part of the walk is uphill. 

Travel by taxi

You can get a taxi with Blackheath Cars by calling 0121 559 5559. You can get a taxi with Brookfleet Cars by calling 0121 559 8585.

Parking

We have a car park. There are accessible parking spaces. The parking is less than 50 metres from the main entrance. Parking is free.

There isn't a designated drop off point but you can drop off any visitors at the carpark at the back of the house near to the back door which is the accessible entrance. Then just ring the doorbell and a member of staff will welcome you into the building. From the car park to the entrance, there is level access. The route is 1500mm wide, or more.

There is a short path from the rear car park to the accessible entrance which is slightly wider than the door. The front entrance has 8 steps up to the front door. These are historic steps. 

Path to main entrance

From the street to the main entrance, there are 8 steps. There is no ramp and no lift.

Main entrance

The door is 1480mm wide.

The main entrance has 8 steps.

The accessible entrance is at the rear of the house with the rear car park. There is accessible parking here too.

The entrance at the rear is level from the carpark and into the back door. Ring the doorbell and a member of staff will welcome you.

The main entrance at the front of the house has 8 steps from the park path up to the front door with a low wall either side of the steps. The front door is open when the museum is open but you will need to open the inner door. 

 

Visual Impairment - General Information

Some parts of the venue have low lighting.

Lift

We have 1 lift.

You can get a lift to all floors.

The platform lift goes to the first floor, covering all areas open to the public from the downstairs corridor to the upstairs corridor

The lift is a platform lift.

The lift door is 900mm wide.

The lift is 1400mm wide. The lift is 1100mm deep.

The lift buttons have raised numbers or letters.

The lift shows the floor number, at each floor.

There is an automatic door which opens on the lift when you press the button to call the lift. The lift will take one wheelchair user and a companion or 4 people. The lift takes visitors from the ground floor corridor to the first floor corridor allowing visitors to access all of the site which is open to the public. You must keep your finger on the button as you travel and give the door chance to open on its own when you reach the end of your journey. If you push the door it can break the mechanism.

Ticket/ information desk

The reception desk is our welcome desk where staff will give you orientation information and answer any of your questions about the site and show you where to start your visit.

There is level access to the reception desk via the accessible entrance at the rear of the site. 

Downstairs of house (from rear accessible entrance)

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. The route is 1420mm wide, or more. Some display information is low, for wheelchair users. There are seats.

The displays are room displays.

Doors to all rooms are wide enough for wheelchairs to pass.

There are clearly marked chairs around the house which can be sat on by visitors as they go around the house.

Due to the nature and age of the house there is some low lighting. 

Flooring changes as you move about the house from wooden floors to carpets and levels change slightly in places too. 

Public toilet

Downstairs accessible toilet

There is a public toilet for disabled visitors.

From the main entrance to the public toilet, there is level access. The route is 900mm wide, or more.

The toilet door is 900mm wide.

The direction of transfer onto the toilet is to the right.

The toilets have handrails.

Shop

Small museum shop area

From the main entrance to the shop, there is level access. The route is 1420mm wide, or more. The route through the shop is 800mm wide, or more.

The upstairs 1st floor

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. There is a lift.

From the lift to this area, the route is 900mm wide, or more. The door is 900mm wide.

There is a platform lift to the first floor

Haden Hill Park

From the main entrance to the gardens, there are 8 steps. There is no lift and no ramp.

Access to the park from the house is via the main entrance which has steps down into the park or via the accessible entrance at the back of the house which is on a level. 

The park has good wide paths, however the clue is in the name, Haden Hill park is on a stepp slope with the house. However there are some flat areas near to the house for short walks and benches to sit on. 

Picnic Area

Park picnic area

From the car park to the picnic area, there is level access. The path is 2400mm wide, or more.

Some tables have space for wheelchair users. You can bring your own food to the picnic area.

There are plenty of general benches throughout the park. The picnic area is accessed via a low gateway and there is a small play area suitable for children in wheelchairs. 

Accessibility equipment

There is a tap and bowl for dogs at the back of the house so they can enjoy a drink. Dogs can be walked in the park where they can do their business as long as it is scooped and put in the bins provided.

Emergency evacuation procedures

We have emergency evacuation procedures for disabled visitors.

The fire alarm has flashing lights.

There is an emergency lighting system in place within the house. The house is small enough that staff will be aware of all visitors who are currently in the house.

Customer care support

Some staff have disability awareness training.

Staff are on hand to assist in any way they can. Our site is small enough for staff to be able to provide any reasonable assistance required by a visitor.