Accessibility

Visit our How to Find Us page for more information about getting here including information about public transport.

There are limited disabled parking spaces available in our tarmacked carpark, near to our visitor entrance. The Admissions Area is 15m away, including some areas of gravel. 

Occasionally we allow disabled parking and drop off in front of the manor house by pre-booking only. Please get in touch to discuss this possibility if required by calling us on 01483 282032 or e-mail info@westhorsleyplace.org

The visitor entrance is marked by a 'Welcome' flag. There is a short path, including some gravel to our Admissions Area.

All visitors for booked events should report to the Admissions Area on arrival.

There is a small step into the Admissions Area. We are currently working on improving wheelchair access with a ramp. Until we have a solution a member of the team will happily come down the step and help anyone who needs to check-in for their event.

Use of a hearing loop is available here. There is seating available in the Admissions Area.

Place Farm Barn, including our pop-up cafe is 10m further along the gravel path from the Admissions Area.

The Manor House is a further 200m from the Admissions Area, including some gravel areas. There are currently no benches along this route. We have an electric 'golf buggy' vehicle which can be used to transport those with limited mobility from the Admissions Area to the Manor house on request. Call us before your visit to discuss the suitability and availability of this service.

The ground floor of the house is accessible for wheelchair users. We have stone-flagged floors, and ancient floorboards, so surfaces may be uneven.

We have an accessible ground floor toilet suitable for wheelchair users (right-hand transfer), plus baby-changing.

Access to the toilets is through the library, via a ramp or a step.

We have two main historic staircases, with handrails to access the first floor.

LIFT

Please note: our lift is currently out-of-order.

There is also a standard platform lift. The lift platform is 140 x 100cm, with a 75cm wide doorway. It can carry up to 400kg. In the event of an emergency evacuation the lift will not be used. Please do not access the first floor if you are unable to safely exit via the stairs or are unable to be evacuated by staff in an evacuation chair. In order to be evacuated in the evacuation chair you must be able to manoeuvre yourself into the chair either independently or with the support of an accompanying carer who you have brought with you. Please contact us by phone on 01483 282032 or email  info@westhorsleyplace.org if you would like more information about this. 

The house is a few minutes' walk from the car park, via our Admissions Area, including a gravel path. It may be possible to arrange for parking near the Manor House for visitors who would find this difficult to navigate. Please get in touch so we can arrange this with you.

Place Farm Barn, including our pop-up cafe is 10m further along the gravel path from the Admissions Area. The café is located on the grass, 4m from the gravel path.

Our beautiful eighteenth-century barn has a level resin-bonded gravel courtyard. It is a 20m walk from the disabled parking in the main carpark, including a short gravel path. If you need to access the Barn avoiding the gravel path, please get in touch as there is a ramp into the back of the barn from the carpark.

There are tables and chairs available in the courtyard and an undercover area with seating off the courtyard.  

We have two accessible toilets at the Barn. Both are accessible via a step free route through the barn or from the courtyard. There is a baby change in the accessible toilet off the foyer. We don't have a Changing Places toilet, but there are a number in the area: details here.

In the event of an emergency, please follow signs and instructions to exit the building. Our Emergency escape route plans are available to view below for those who wish to familiarise themselves before their arrival.

The walled garden is next to the Manor House. All areas of the walled gardens are accessible via a step-free route. The gardens are unpaved and the predominant surface is turf, which may be uneven and soft in wet weather. Some sections of the garden have narrow paths which may not be wide enough for wheelchair users but there are alternative routes around the garden.

There are a small number of garden benches with arms, most of them are situated nearest the house.

West Horsley Place’s sensory garden is a welcoming haven, developed with direct input from blind and partially sighted individuals, the garden emphasizes accessibility and multisensory engagement.

It is free to visit and open everyday. Find out more about it.

There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor of the manor house.  It is suitable for wheelchair users (right-hand transfer), plus baby-changing. Access to the toilets is through the library, via a ramp or a step.

There are two accessible toilets at the Barn. Both are accessible via a step free route through the barn or via a small step from the courtyard. There is a baby change in the accessible toilet off the foyer. We don't have a Changing Places toilet, but there are a number in the area: details here.

In the event of an emergency, please follow signs and instructions to exit the building. Our Emergency escape route plans are available to view below for those who wish to familiarise themselves before their arrival.

There is a standard platform lift which can be used to access the first floor of the manor house. In the event of an emergency evacuation the lift will not be used. An evacuation chair will be used to support evacuation of anyone who is unable to safely exit via the stairs in the event on an emergency evacuation.

In order to be evacuated in the evacuation chair you must be able to manoeuvre yourself into the chair either independently or with the support of an accompanying carer who you have brought with you.

We are unable to provide access to the first floor to anyone who is unable to safely exit via the stairs and unable to be evacuated by staff in an evacuation chair. Please contact us by phone on 01483 282032 or email  info@westhorsleyplace.org if you would like more information about this. 

We offer free tickets to carers accompanying a paying adult or child. These can be booked through our website when purchasing tickets for an event. We do not require any proof of disability or carer status on booking or arrival. 

We can arrange for a BSL guide for our events. To request a tour with a BSL interpreter please email info@westhorsleyplace.org

Dogs are very welcome on the estate and in the barn courtyard. They are also welcome at some of our larger events like open days and festivals. Please take a look at the specific event pages for more information. Only Assistance dogs may enter the house and walled gardens. A water bowl is available in Place Farm Courtyard.

There is a designated quiet room in the Manor house for those who need a quiet space to retreat from the crowds. This space is accessible during events in the Manor house only. If the quiet room is inaccessible for any event, this will be included in the important information on the event page. There is a ramp into this step. Inside you will find a comfy sofa and sensory lights.

Our access panel include volunteers of many different lived experiences and with different access requirements. This panel advises us on how we can make West Horsley Place as accessible as possible.

Whether facing barriers to their own access needs or to those of their companion, Access Panel members use their experience to contribute to the discussion on barriers they face when visiting West Horsley Place, and possible improvements to accessibility for the future.

 You can find out more about becoming a member of our access panel by emailing info@westhorsleyplace.org

We want everyone to be able to use our website. We are committed to providing a site that is accessible to the widest possible audience.

We are actively working to increase the accessibility and usability or westhorsleyplace.org

If you have any issues whilst using our website, we’ll work to resolve them. Please email us at info@westhorsleyplace.org

On our website, we make sure that:

• Information is presented in a logical order

• The website works without CSS or images, we try to include alt text on all our images

• You can reach and use every part of the site without a mouse

• You can resize and adjust the text

Areas we are still working on:

• Video and audio transcripts

• Audio captions

• Audio descriptions

• Improved access guide with video

• Inclusion of in-screen signing in videos