Accessibility Guide for St Edmundsbury Cathedral

Welcome

A warm welcome awaits at St Edmundsbury Cathedral in the Suffolk market town of Bury St Edmunds. Located near the award winning Abbey Gardens, the Cathedral is open daily for visits, services and exhibitions.

Once part of the great Abbey of St Edmund, St James’ parish church became St Edmundsbury Cathedral in 1914. Discover the story of St Edmund through stained glass, statues, tapestry and paintings. Admire the Millennium tower, completed in 2005, with its breath-taking vaulted ceiling.

Enjoy guided tours and Tower tours. Browse in the Shop for unique souvenirs and complete your visit with refreshments in Pilgrims’ Kitchen, offering locally sourced food in beautiful surroundings.

Level access

The main entrance has level access. The ramp is permanent.

There is level access from the main entrance to:

Cathedral building (Nave)Chapels Treasury Cathedral Centre Pilgrims Kitchen Cathedral Shop Edmund Room (meeting room)Cathedral grounds

Hearing

We have a hearing loop in In the Cathedral.

Some staff have disability awareness training.

Visual

Glass doors have contrast markings.

Some parts of the venue have low lighting.

We have information in braille.

General

We have a complimentary ticket policy for personal assistants.

There is a public toilet for disabled visitors.

Some staff have disability awareness training.

We have emergency evacuation procedures for disabled visitors.

Getting here

Cathedral Office

Abbey House, Angel Hill

Bury St Edmunds

IP33 1LS

Travel by public transport

You can get to St Edmundsbury Cathedral by bus and train.

The Bus terminal is in St Andrews Street North IP33 1TZ. Buses arrive here from neighbouring towns and villages. It is also served by National Express. The bus stop is 1 miles / 1.6 km from St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

The nearest train station is Bury St Edmunds. The train station is 1 miles / 1.6 km from St Edmundsbury Cathedral.

Travel by taxi

You can get a taxi with Getaway Cards by calling 01284 701999. You can get a taxi with A1 Cars by calling 01284 766777.

Parking

Passengers can be dropped off on Angel Hill, which is a public car park. This is a short distance from the Cathedral entrance (approx 20 metres). There is also provision for coach drop off on Angel Hill (about 100 metres from the Cathedral entrance).

There is space for one car on the Cathedral site which can be pre-booked for a visitor with a Blue badge.

Small minibuses can drop off on the Cathedral site if pre-arranged.

Phone 01284 748720 to book.

Arrival

Path to main entrance

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

The path is 2220mm wide, or more.

Main entrance

The main entrance has level access.

There is a permanent ramp.

The door is 1420mm wide.

The main door is side hung and manual.

There are glass doors into the cathedral from the porch area. These are usually closed and need to be manually opened. Often a volunteer is on duty and will do this for a visitor who needs assistance.

When both doors are open the width is 1420 mm. If only one panel is open, the width is 780 mm.

Entrance to cathedral with single door open

Getting around inside

Visual Impairment - General Information

We have contrast markings on all glass doors.

Some parts of the venue have low lighting.

Lift

We have 2 lifts.

You can get a lift to all floors.

Cathedral Centre lift

The lift door is 800mm wide.

The lift is 1000mm wide. The lift is 1360mm 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.

Lift is needed to access meeting room and Learning Hub (education centre) upstairs.

Nave lift

The lift is a platform lift.

The lift door is 800mm wide.

The lift is 1000mm wide. The lift is 1250mm deep.

This lift can only be used with the assistance of a member of staff. A notice gives details on how to contact a verger who will assist.

Things to See and Do

We have a complimentary ticket policy for personal assistants.

We have a designated quiet space.

Cathedral building (Nave)

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. There is a permanent ramp. The door is 1420mm wide.

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

There is a hearing loop.

Chapels

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

From the lift to this area, the route is 1190mm wide, or more. The door is 1420mm wide.

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

There is a hearing loop.

There is level access to the chapels if you enter from the main entrance.
If you wish to enter the chapels from the Cloisters, you can use the platform lift (a member of staff must be called to assist).
There are two steps into the chancel. Access to the chancel is possible with assistance from a member of staff. A portable ramp will be used to provided access to this area (which is two steps higher than the chapels).

Treasury

From the main entrance to this area, there is level access. From the main entrance to this area, there are 10 steps. There is no lift and no ramp.

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

For level access to the Treasury, visitors should approach from the entrance via the Cloisters near Pilgrims' Kitchen (if approaching from the main entrance, there are steps). Access to the Treasury is via a short spiral staircase (10 steps). There is a chairlift which can be used with assistance from a member of staff. A wheelchair is available in the Treasury to ease movement around the space.

Public toilet

Cathedral Centre

There is a public toilet for disabled visitors.

From the main entrance to the public toilet, there is level access. The route is 820mm wide, or more.

The toilet door is 650mm wide.

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

There is 1100mm at the side of the toilet. There is 1200mm in front of the toilet. The toilet seat is 460mm high. The toilets have handrails.

The toilets are located in the Cathedral Centre. Access is from the Cloisters which should be approached from the entrance near to Pilgrims' Kitchen (restaurant). There is no direct access from the main entrance of the Cathedral (as this route has steps). The cubicle has motion-sensor lighting which comes on automatically when someone enters the space.

Shop

Cathedral Shop

From the main entrance to the shop, there is level access. There is a permanent ramp. The route is 1190mm wide, or more. The door is 1400mm wide.

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

Place to eat and drink

Pilgrims Kitchen

From the main entrance to the dining area, there is level access. The route is 820mm wide, or more. The door is 1300mm wide.

To get to a table, there are no steps.

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.

The table and plates have high colour contrast.

We cater for vegetarian, gluten free (celiacs), lactose free (dairy free), nut free and vegan specific diets.

There are sliding glass doors to enter the restaurant. In the summer these are fixed open. In the winter, a button (to the right of the doors) has to be pressed to open them.

If moving from the restaurant to the toilets, it is possible to use an internal set of automatic glass doors (width 1400 mm).

The restaurant has an outdoor area. Some parts of this have level access (grass and decking area) but can only be access from the outside (ie if you go through the restaurant to these areas you will encounter thresholds and steps).

We offer some nut free options but please note that Pilgrims' Kitchen is not a nut-free environment.

Edmund Room (meeting room)

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

From the lift to this area, the route is 820mm wide, or more.

This meeting room is on the First floor. Access is via steps or the Cathedral Centre lift.

Getting around outside

Cathedral grounds

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

The route is 2220mm wide, or more.

The Cathedral has a small garden area. It can be accessed directly from Angel Hill or from the neighbouring Abbey Gardens (through the Herb Garden).

It is possible to access the gardens via the Cloisters but this route has steps.

Customer care support

Accessibility equipment

We provide wheelchairs. Wheelchairs are free.

We have a hearing loop in In the Cathedral.

For a list of more items, please go to https://www.ashdownmobility.co.uk/.

The accessible toilet in the Cathedral can be used by someone with an assistance dog.

You can hire mobility equipment from Shop Mobility (the Apex) by calling 01284 757175.

Emergency evacuation procedures

We have emergency evacuation procedures for disabled visitors.

The Cathedral's evacuation plan states 'Vergers will sweep the building using torches for enhanced lighting and will ensure the safety of those in the building taking steps to evacuate disabled or vulnerable people'.

Customer care support

Some staff have disability awareness training.

We have information in braille.

We have two images of the Cathedral in Braille which can be used as part of a guided tour.

We have other services for people with accessibility requirements.

We can provide guided tours adapted for people with aphasia. This includes provision of a large print, pictorial guide with clear words and images to assist understanding.

We offer a monthly Eucharistic service (2nd Tuesday of each month at 2.30 pm) which is accessible to all, particularly those with dementia. It is informal and welcoming. .