Accessibility Guide for Hampton Court Palace

Welcome

Hampton Court Palace - managed by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity - is in south-west London and has over 500 years of history to discover. The home of Henry VIII, his wives and children, the palace is the greatest and most authentic Tudor experience in the world.

But Hampton Court isn't just a Tudor Palace. Explore our Baroque Palace, built for William III and Mary II. Its spectacular views and decorative interiors provide a fascinating glimpse of Stuart and Georgian privilege.

The palace grounds and gardens are equally stunning. From the world famous maze and grape vine to the ornamental gardens, exploring outside is a magical treat too.

Level access

There is level access from the main entrance to:

First Floor State Apartments Henry VIII's Kitchens The Formal Gardens

Hearing

We have a hearing loop in

Some staff have disability awareness, BSL and Next Generation Text training.

Visual

Glass doors and full-height windows have contrast markings.

The walls and the doors have high colour contrast.

Some parts of the venue have low lighting.

General

We have a complimentary ticket policy for personal assistants.

Staff are available 24 hours a day.

Some staff have disability awareness training.

We have emergency evacuation procedures for disabled visitors.

Getting here

Hampton Court Palace

East Molesey

Surrey

KT8 9AU

Contact for accessibility enquiries: Sue Whittaker

Travel by public transport

You can get to Hampton Court Palace by bus, train and boat or ferry.

There are two bus stops close by: Hampton Court Gardens (by the entrance to the gardens near the maze) and Hampton Court Palace (by Trophy Gate, near the Ticket Office). The bus stop is 0.2 miles / 0.3 km from Hampton Court Palace.

The nearest train station is Hampton Court Station. The train station is 0.3 miles / 0.5 km from Hampton Court Palace.

The nearest port is Turks Pier on the River Thames. The port is 0.2 miles / 0.3 km from Hampton Court Palace.

Hampton Court Palace is in travelcard zone 6.

Travel by taxi

Parking

Cars and taxis may pull in next to the Ticket Office to drop off if the car park is full.

Arrival

Path to main entrance

From the street to the main entrance, there is level access.

The path is 2000mm wide, or more.

Main entrance

The main entrance has level access.

The door is 2000mm wide.

The gate will be open if the palace is open. The approach is tarmac and bonded gravel but entry is straight onto cobbles once inside.

Getting around inside

Visual Impairment - General Information

We have contrast markings on all glass doors, contrast markings on all full-height windows and high colour contrast between walls and doorframes.

Some parts of the venue have low lighting.

Lift

Things to See and Do

We have a complimentary ticket policy for personal assistants.

We have a designated quiet space.

First Floor State Apartments

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. Some display information is low, for wheelchair users. There are seats.

Some videos have subtitles.

Although our displays don't have flashing lights, visitors are allowed to take personal photographs - which means there will often be camera flashes, and sometimes a lot of them.

Henry VIII's Kitchens

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

Most of the floor surfaces are cobbles and there are some very small rooms which can easily get congested. There is also a real fire in the final room.

Getting around outside

The Formal Gardens

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. The entrance is 1500mm wide.

There are three gates from the East Front into the Formal Gardens. Visitors can also reach them from the Mantegna Gallery.

Hampton Court Palace - East Front Gardens

Customer care support

Accessibility equipment

We provide wheelchairs.

There are seats in most rooms and we have a number of objects that can be handled.

For a list of more items, please go to https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/visit/accessibility/#gs.4PucqQ0.

Assistance dogs requiring the toilet should use the palace gardens, which surround the building on three sides.

Emergency evacuation procedures

We have emergency evacuation procedures for disabled visitors.

Our alarm system is a sounder but all visitors should follow the instructions of the Front-of-House Staff, who will be able to guide them to the nearest safe exit, as it is possible that an evacuation may be required that isn't sounded.

All our accessible toilets have pull-cord alarms that link back to our Control Room, but they don't flash.

Customer care support

Some staff have disability awareness training.

Some staff have Next Generation Text training.

Some staff have BSL training.

Staff are available 24 hours a day.

We provide some additional services for visitors with disabilities to help them get the most from their visit but most require staff or volunteer assistance so must be pre-booked well in advance.