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Access at The Children's Country House at Sudbury
We want to make sure that The Children’s Country House at Sudbury is accessible for all visitors. The historic house and gardens we care for present challenges in creating access for all, but we are taking steps to ensure that as many people as possible are able to experience Sudbury’s history and beauty. Here you’ll find information about access across the different areas of The Children’s Country House at Sudbury and how to make the most of your visit.
Arrival and Parking Facilities
The car park at The Children’s Country House at Sudbury is located around 460m from Visitor Services and is well signposted with brown signs from both left and right directions.
The car park surface is gravelled with plastic ground stabilisers and there are 20 designated spaces for disabled visitors in the main car park, and all other car parking spaces meet the recommended dimensions of a disabled car parking space The car park also contains a grassed area, which has picnic benches.
A wheelchair accessible electric vehicle is available to transport passengers between the car park and the property entrance. This is a free service with no need to prebook, there is a number displayed in the carpark which you can call upon arrival for assistance.
Visitor Services
All visitors are asked to check-in at Visitor Services upon arrival. There is a large black gate outside Visitor Services with smaller entry and exit gates into the Stableyard. The area directly outside of Visitor Services and into the Stableyard is cobbled.The Visitor Services building is level entry with stone flooring. The height of the reception desk is over 1m, with a lower section of 750mm. Chairs are available for visitors in this area and there is an Induction Loop available at the reception desk.
Wheelchair Hire
Manual wheelchairs and all-terrain wheelchairs are available to borrow from Visitor Services, these do not need to be pre-booked.
Toilets and Accessible Facilities
The main public toilets are located in the Stableyard, next to Visitor Services. In this area, there is an accessible toilet, a baby change facility and a Changing Places Toilet.
The Changing Places Toilet includes a large, wall-mounted changing table, a hoist and a screen for privacy along with a toilet with two handles and a sink. There is a red cord which can be used to summon assistance and the toilet can be accessed via a radar key, which can be borrowed from Visitor Services if you do not have your own.
Entry to the Changing Places Toilet is over a cobbled area, and via a small threshold ramp and entry to the main toilets is level, however there is a cobbled area directly outside the entrance.
All toilets have automatic hand driers and are well lit.
Additional toilets are located in the Great Stairhead Chamber, the Ground Floor Corridor and the Basement within the Hall. The Museum has two accessible toilets in the Home Gallery and Toy Gallery.
Sensory Room
There is a Sensory Room located next to the Changing Places Toilet which has sensory items such as toys and spinners and ear defenders. The Sensory Room is a quiet space with a door that can be shut if you require more privacy.
Accessibility in the Stableyard
The Stableyard is the first space after Visitor Services. Within this, you will find the café, toilets and entrance to the Museum of Childhood and Fundraising Shop. The Gardens can also be accessed from here.
The pathway in this area is hard and smooth and has a large, grassed area in the middle with several picnic benches, including wheelchair accessible picnic benches.
Accessibility in the Hall
The Hall is approximately 100m away from Visitor Services and the pathway to the Hall is flat, smooth and hardstanding.
Access into the Hall is via approximately 10 shallow, stone steps with no handrail, or via a ramp to the right-hand side of the building. Through the main door is a second small set of steps covered by a ramp.
Due to the historic and fragile nature of the wooden floors inside the Hall, we are unable to allow electric mobility scooters or electric wheelchairs within the Hall, We ask those who can to transfer into a manual wheelchair to do so; these can be borrowed on site.
Backpacks should be removed and stored in our Buggy Store, or carried by their handles and pushchairs can be swapped for baby carriers at parents’ own discretion and we do not allow large back-pack style baby carriers into the Hall.
Most of the rooms within the Hall contain seating. There are various seating options, including chairs with arms and backrests.
Most areas within the Hall can be viewed whilst on site using our interactive virtual tour tablet. Large print and braille guides are available too and can be located by the Great Stairs in the Hall.
Ear defenders and fidget toys are available to borrow in the Hall. Please ask the member of staff at the Entrance for a sensory backpack.
There is step-free access throughout the ground floor of the Hall, and this includes the Great Hall, Saloon, Drawing Room and Library.
The first floor can be reached via a staircase of 28 wide, shallow steps with a half landing in the middle. There are wide, ornate, wooden balustrades (approximately 95cm high) to each side which have a handrail along the top.
The World Below, in the Basement, is accessible via a steep, stone staircase with a half-spiral in the middle. There is no handrail, but there is a traditional rope handle. There is an additional staircase which is similar and allows visitors to move between the Future (formally Billiard Room) and Hall Exit.
Staff and volunteers are stationed within the Hall to help you enjoy your visit. All staff and volunteers will be wearing a branded blue polo shirt.
Toilets are located in the Great Stairhead Chamber (first floor), the Ground Floor Corridor and the Future (basement).
Accessibility in the Museum
The Museum is approximately 40m from Visitor Services and the immediate area around the entrance is cobbled.
The museum is laid out over two floors which can accessed via stairs or via the lift.. The lift entrance is 80cm wide.
There is a small staircase in the museum leading to the Space Room which consists of 5 steps with a handrail on each side. There is no step free access to this room, but it can be viewed on a Virtual Tour tablet, that is located within the main Hall.
There are a combination of chairs and sofas throughout the Museum and staff are stationed at Museum Entrance, wearing a blue polo shirt and they can assist however you need.
Most of the galleries in the Museum are well lit, however the Work Tunnel, Stories Corridor and Space Room are dimly lit and contain sound.
There is a buggy store located in the Museum where pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility scooters can be stored.
Fundraising Shop
The Fundraising Shop is approximately 50m away from the Visitor Services building and next to the Museum of Childhood. Inside the Fundraising Shop it is well lit with both natural and artificial light. There are often gentle thunderstorm/jungle sounds played in the Fundraising Shop. This can be turned off if required. Please ask a member of staff for assistance.
There is circulation space of 1200mm between the display stands and there is an induction loop at the till point.
Volunteers are sometimes stationed within the Fundraising Shop. You will be able to identify them by a branded, blue polo shirt. Volunteers are available to assist reaching down to items to view if they cannot be reached by customers. If there is no volunteer, please ask for assistance at Visitor Services.
Accessibility in the Gardens
The Gardens are located at the back of the property and are accessed through a large gateway. They are mainly grassed and very uneven.
Just after the gate, on the right-hand side, there is a steep slope upwards to the terraces. The surface of the slope is a combination of earth, brick, and tree roots. It can become very muddy in wet weather. At the top of this slope there are rectangular walkways. The surfacing here is large, loose gravel. There are paths off these walkways, accessed by steps at different points. These are historic steps and so have a variety of heights and depths. These steps do not have handrails.
At the bottom of the garden is a large lake and a Boathouse and the edge of the lake has a reedbed which can make it difficult to see where the lake begins. Access to the Boathouse is via uneven grass. This can become muddy and slippery when wet.
Play Area
Access to the play area is through the Garden gate from the Stableyard and to the left-hand side under some trees. This area can be muddy and slippery in wet weather and the surface is very uneven. The play equipment is mostly made from wood, with some metal and rope and the light levels can fluctuate due to tree cover.
Accessibility in the Café
The Fairytale Forest Café is approximately 30m away from Visitor Services, and the pathway is cobbled.
The flooring inside is original brick and mainly flat with some uneven areas and so when busy, this space can be echoey.
Drinking water is always available free of charge.
There is an induction loop available at the till points and all food and drink need to be ordered from here. Drinks and light refreshments are to be collected from the counter and main meals delivered to your table. Trays are available for carrying food and drink and members of staff will assist whenever needed. The seating in the café is a combination of freestanding chairs and tables with some booth and bench seating and can be moved for comfort or to accommodate a wheelchair.
The café has two floors with the upstairs area reached by 26 stairs with a handrail either side and alternatively, there is a platform lift.
Large, handled cutlery, double handled mugs and straws are available upon request.
A variety of additional support is available to help you enjoy your visit to The Children's Country House at Sudbury. For any specific access requirements, please contact us at cchsudbury@nationaltrust.org.uk or 01283 585337 prior to visiting and a member of the team will be happy to assist.
You can also find a full AccessAble Guide here.