Accessibility at Upton House and Gardens

Accessibility in the House

Entrance

• The main entrance into the House is via the courtyard in front of you at the end of the driveway.

• There are five stone steps up to the front door. There is no handrail.

• Level-access entry into the House is via an access ramp installed at the side door. Please ask staff at the main entrance to the House to direct you. A member of staff will meet you at the side door.

• Indoor wheelchairs are available for you to borrow while you visit the House.

• The open rooms on the ground floor are fully accessible.

• The floor surface in the Entrance Hall is flagstone and there is a large rush mat in the centre.

• There is fitted carpet in the Dining Room and the Sitting Room. The floor surface throughout the rest of the ground floor is polished wood. There are woollen rugs on some areas of floor surface in the Long Gallery and the Library.

• We advise you to leave rucksacks and large bags in your vehicles. We may ask you to remove your rucksack or large bag upon entry.

• We ask you to leave prams in your vehicles or in the summer house. We have hip carriers available if you are visiting with small children. Please ask staff if you would like to borrow one.

Access to the lower-ground floor

• Access to the lower-ground floor is down 16 wooden steps. The steps are marked individually across with white strips to aid visibility. There is a handrail on the right-hand-side of the staircase only.

Lighting and temperature in the House

• Lighting is both artificial LED and natural and kept at a moderate to low level to protect the collection.

• The temperature in the House is controlled to protect the collection. This can make it feel cool inside.

Braille and Touch guides

• Braille guides for blind and partially sighted people are available for the house and garden. Please ask staff for assistance.

• You will find room interpretation printed inclusively in Large Print.

• Copies of the picture catalogues are also available in Large Print.

• For each room there is a list of ‘touch to see’ items. Staff will assist you with handling these items and explain their context.

Squash Court Gallery

• Level access to the Squash Court Gallery is via the Quiet Orchard or up the slope from the garden entrance. There are tarmac and crushed-stone paths along both routes.

• There is a ramp from the Quiet Orchard downward to the gallery entrance. The surface has stone slabs. A metal handrail run along the right-hand-side of the ramp.

• The historic internal door into the gallery is off a narrow corridor, which may be inaccessible to larger mobility vehicles. The outside door into the corridor has a slightly raised threshold.

• The gallery has historic wood floor panels.

Accessibility in the Garden

• The main garden entrance is via a level tarmac path from the plant centre. There is also access via sloping paths from the Quiet Orchard. The hard paths around the garden perimeter are crushed stone.

• The south terrace in front of the House is accessible via a level pathway. The surface is stone paving. There are 8 stone steps down to the South Lawn, with a low wall on either side. There is no handrail.

• The most accessible route onto the South Lawn is along the top of the grass bank, following the edge of the rockery on your left.

• Beyond the South Lawn, the garden descends steeply in a series of terraces down to the Kitchen Garden, Lupin border and Mirror Pool. Spring and summer access to the lower terraces is via a stone staircase. This has 72 steps and stone handrails either side in some places. The final 17 steps down to the grass path have a low wall on either side, and no handrail.

• There are firm grass paths along the terraces. Steep grass slopes and stone steps connect the terraces down to the Mirror Pool. There are no handrails along these paths.

• In the Bog Garden the fragile grass paths are soft and narrow in places. This area of the garden features historic stew ponds, which are unguarded. The Mirror Pool is also unguarded.

• In the winter, access to the Mirror Pool is via the hard pathway that runs around the perimeter of the garden. This route is steep and uneven and includes stone steps and several drops. There is no handrail. It is unsuitable for manual wheelchairs, mobility vehicles, prams and pushchairs.

Quiet Orchard

• Upton’s Quiet Orchard is a dedicated silent space accessible to all visitors seeking some quiet time surrounded by nature.

• There is woven rush seating in the covered portico, set back from the path. This is a lovely spot to sit if you are feeling overwhelmed. From here you can see the whole orchard, listen to the birdsong and watch the many birds flitting between the branches.

Woodland Walk

• The Woodland Walk has a level pathway between Visitor Reception and the Pavilion café. The surface is bark chippings. Both sides of the path have a raised wooden edge. The path is suitable for prams, pushchairs, wheelchairs and mobility vehicles. There are no gates.

• Off the pathway, natural play areas of the woodland have logs to weave in and out of, a tunnel made from holly and a giant nest made from branches and foliage. The surface is bark chippings with areas of undergrowth from the woodland trees and plants. This is a space for you to create your own multisensory nature experiences. What you can see, hear, feel and touch will change across the seasons.

Learn more about accessibility at Upton House and Gardens on AccessAble.