Accessibility Guide for National Maritime Museum Cornwall

Travel by public transport

You can get to National Maritime Museum Cornwall by bus, train and boat or ferry.

The nearest bus stop is on Marine Crescent. The bus stop is 0.2 miles / 0.3 km from National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

The nearest train station is Falmouth Town. The train station is 0.2 miles / 0.3 km from National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

The nearest port is Falmouth. The port is 0.5 miles / 0.8 km from National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

There are two close bus stops, one is Maritime Museum (Marine Crescent) serviced by the OTS Falmouth Hopper, Number 367.  The second is Grove Place, serviced by the OTS Falmouth Hopper Number 366A.  Both buses serve the town centre on a 20 minute loop, linking the town and coast to the main bus station on The Moor.  Both stops are a level access walk to the museum, with Marine Crescent having two roads to cross.

Falmouth main bus station is situated on The Moor and connects Falmouth to all the local towns and villages through First Kernow Group (0345 602 0121).

Falmouth Town train station is operated by First Great Western and is a branch line from Truro Station.  It is half a mile from the museum with a long hill leading down from the station.

 

Travel by taxi

You can get a taxi with a2b falmouth by calling 01326 317898. The taxi company has a wheelchair accessible vehicle.

Parking

There is parking near the venue. There are accessible parking spaces. Parking is not free.

The nearest drop off point is outside Events Square which leaves a level access walk into the museum of 100 metres. Wheelchairs are available to borrow from the museum and can be collected and taken to either a drop off point or the museum car park. From the car park to the entrance, there is level access. There is a permanent ramp.

The route is 1500mm wide, or more.

The car park is approximately 150 metres from the entrance to the museum.  There is a permanent ramp leading from the car park to Events Square which is 2 metres wide, followed by a level access path accross the square to the museum.  

The car park has camera enforcement in operation.  It is a short stay car park up to 4 hours - Blue Badge holders also need to pay but are eligible for an extra hour of parking free of charge (up to 5 hours), please see the information boards in the car park for instructions on this.  You can pay by coins, phone or RinGo app (site number 9181).  You cannot pre-book parking, all parking is pay on arrival.

There is also a long stay car park at Falmouth Town train station (The Dell).  This is 0.2 miles from the museum, there is a long hill coming down from the car park to the museum.

Path to main entrance

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

Main entrance

The main entrance has level access.

The museum is situated at the end of Events Square backing on to the sea.  There is a level access walk across the paved square to the automatic doors into the building all on the level.

Visual Impairment - General Information

Some parts of the venue have low lighting.

Lift

We have 2 lifts.

You can get a lift to all floors.

Front of House lift

The lift door is 1200mm wide.

The lift is 1500mm wide. The lift is 2000mm deep.

The lift says the floor number at each floor.

The lift buttons have raised numbers or letters.

The lift shows the floor number, at each floor.

The Front of House lift is situated right next to the admission tills and features a painting by Stanhope Forbes on its doors. It gives access to the Cornwall Galleries at ground floor, first and second floor alongside all of the toilets (first and second floor), the Cafe and the Lecture Theatre. It is large, light and airy with handrails all round and features a tall window giving a view of the Main Hall and the Flotilla hanging gallery. There is only one entrance and exit to the lift.

Tower Lift

The lift door is 800mm wide.

The lift is 1000mm wide. The lift is 1300mm deep.

The lift says the floor number at each floor.

The lift buttons have raised numbers or letters.

The lift shows the floor number, at each floor.

The Tower lift is situated at the rear end of the building and provides access to The Tidal Zone, The Quarter Deck, The Nav Station, The Learning Centre and The Lookout. The lift has two exits, with the exits for The Tidal Zone and The Lookout opposite the exits for the other three floors. There are handrails and a large mirror in the Tower lift.

Ticket/ information desk

Admissions desk

From the main entrance to the desk, there is level access. The route is 1650mm wide, or more.

The desk has a low section.

The admission desk is across a clear, wide floor from the main entrance, past the entrance to the gift shop.  There are low tills to the left as you approach the desk.  There is a hearing aid loop operational at the admissions desk.

Ticket/ information desk

Information desk

From the main entrance to the desk, there is level access. The route is 2000mm wide, or more.

There is a hearing aid loop operational at the information desk.

Things to See and Do

We have a complimentary ticket policy for personal assistants.

We have display information in: braille and large print.

Waterfront

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. There is a permanent ramp. The route is 2000mm wide, or more. Some display information is low, for wheelchair users. There are seats.

The Waterfront is an area where you can sail radio control yachts.  There is a low level accessible control unit and a ramp to the lower area.

The Hold

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. There is a permanent ramp. The route is 1500mm wide, or more. The door is 2000mm wide.

Some display information is low, for wheelchair users. There are seats.

Videos have subtitles.

The Hold is a temporary exhibition space and houses our main exhibitions.  There are ramps between two levels and films with subtitles.  Some of the light is low level to prevent deterioration of artefacts.  There is no coloured lighting in the museum.

The Library

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. The route is 800mm wide, or more. The door is 1400mm wide.

Some display information is low, for wheelchair users. There are seats.

There is a hearing loop.

There is a staffed library with its own accessible toilet.

Flotilla/Main Hall

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

From the lift to this area, the route is 8000mm wide, or more. Some display information is low, for wheelchair users. There are seats.

Some videos have subtitles.

The Main Hall holds some temporary exhibits and the Flotilla is accessible through the arial ramps

Public toilet

First floor accessible toilet

There is a public toilet for disabled visitors.

There is a lift.

From the lift to the public toilet, the route is 1650mm wide, or more.

The toilet door is 900mm wide.

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

There is 750mm at the side of the toilet. There is 1800mm in front of the toilet. The toilet seat is 470mm high. The toilets have handrails.

Shared space with the baby changing, this toilet is located at the front of the building on the first floor accessible only by the Front of House lift.  The toilet has a large handle flush on the cystern and emergency pull cords for immediate attention.  Each toilet has a low level sink with a mixer tap and low level electric hand driers.

Public toilet

Second floor accessible toilet

There is a public toilet for disabled visitors.

There is a permanent ramp.

There is a lift.

From the lift to the public toilet, the route is 1200mm wide, or more.

The toilet door is 900mm wide.

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

There is 1050mm at the side of the toilet. There is 1150mm in front of the toilet. The toilet seat is 470mm high. The toilets have handrails.

This toilet is on the 2nd floor, it is a shared facility with a baby changer unit.  It is a level walk from the cafe (also situated on the second floor) and accessible by the Front of House lift and ramps throughout the building.  This toilet also benefits from an ADi ROOMMATE audio facility describing the layout of the room.  The toilets have a large handle flush on the cystern and emergency pull cords for immediate attention.  Each toilet has a low level sink with a mixer tap and low level electric hand driers.

Public toilet

Library 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 800mm wide, or more.

The toilet door is 800mm wide.

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

There is 900mm at the side of the toilet. There is 1550mm in front of the toilet. The toilet seat is 470mm high. The toilets have handrails.

The toilet has a large handle flush on the cystern and emergency pull cords for immediate attention.  Each toilet has a low level sink with a mixer tap and low level electric hand driers.  There is a low level light switch to the right as you enter the toilet.

Shop

Gift Shop

From the main entrance to the shop, there is level access. The route is 2000mm wide, or more. The route through the shop is 800mm wide, or more.

The gift shop is situated at the main entrance to the museum.  It is on the same level as the entrance doors with no ramps or lifts between.  The gift shop can be entered without purchasing an admissions ticket for the museum.  There is a hearing aid loop operational in the gift shop.

Place to eat and drink

Waterside Cafe

There is a permanent ramp. There is a lift. From the lift to dining area, the route is 850mm wide, or more. To get to a table, there are no steps.

The dining area is self-service. If you need table service, staff can help you.

The route through the dining area is 800mm wide, or more.

There is no background music.

We cater for vegetarian and gluten free (celiacs) specific diets.

The cafe has a low counter and the tables are accessible for wheelchair users.  There is a low counter when choosing and paying.  Table service is available.

Accessibility equipment

We provide wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are free.

We have a hearing loop in the gift shop, at the admissions desk and at the information desk..

There are ramps which connect most of the galleries and lift access to all galleries.  Also, there are benches throughout the building offering seats and wall maps showing all accessible routes throughout the museum.  We have a selection of large print and easy read guide, with large print available on every gallery.  We also have ear defenders available to borrow.

Emergency evacuation procedures

We have emergency evacuation procedures for disabled visitors.

There are wide fire escape doors.  In the event of a fire there are "safe zones" on the upper levels which are enclosed by automatic fire doors.  The museum volunteers will organise the evacuation and give all the necessary guidance.

Customer care support

Some staff have disability awareness training.

We have information in braille, large print .

We have self propelled and transport wheelchairs.