This access statement does not contain personal opinions as to our suitability for those with disabilities, but aims to accurately describe the facilities and services that we offer all our guests/visitors. ACCESS STATEMENT THE POWELL-COTTON MUSEUM, QUEX HOUSE AND GARDENS
Thank you for coming to our website. Whatever your needs, we will do our best to make your visit as comfortable and interesting as possible. If there is anything you would like to ask about, please contact Debbie Martin at the museum by telephoning 01843 842168 or emailing debbie.martin@quexmuseum.org. Introduction Situated in the grounds of Quex Park, The Powell-Cotton Museum, House and Gardens are home to the vast collections of Major Powell-Cotton and his family going back to 1777. A keen traveller, Major Powell-Cotton made several expeditions to Africa and Asia sending back and returning with Taxidermy and other ethnography. The Museum started with one single gallery in 1896 and has expanded over the years to 8 galleries. The House was originally built between 1806 and 1813 and expanded in the early 1900s. The gardens are spread over 7 acres and include a Victorian walled garden, woodland walk and a croquet lawn. Pre arrival For full details and maps of how to reach us please see the directions section of our website. Alternatively, you can plan your journey by car or public transport using www.transportdirect.info; simply enter your postcode and ours, which is CT7 0BH to get directions. The nearest railway station is Birchington on Sea, which is approximately a 15 minute walk away. Taxis are available at the station. If you require an accessible taxi you can book this in advance, see below for details. Birchington Square bus stop is a 10 minute walk away. There are no buses passing Quex Park. The walk from Birchington village is level and there are no hills or slopes. The pathway from the front gate to Quex Park on Park Lane to the Museum House and Garden is uneven and the pedestrian gate is quite narrow. Local Accessibility information Mobility Hire: Safe Hands (Birchington Mobility Centre) 2-6 Albion Road, Birchington, Kent CT7 9DN
Supply for hire scooters, manual and electric wheelchairs. Tel: +44 (0) 1843 848208 www.safehandsmobility.co.uk Taxi: Central Cars offer an accessible taxi service. Please call in advance (01843) 88 88 88 Buses: Most of the routes operated by Stagecoach use low floor Easy Access buses which are wheelchair accessible. By using this webpage: http://www.stagecoachbus.com/customersercontact.aspx you can be assisted with planning your journey from start to finish. Public Conveniences: The following public conveniences have disabled facilities that are open all year, a radar key is needed to access the disabled toilets. These can be purchased from the Visitor Information Centre. Please note this is a non-refundable purchase. Minnis Bay Car Park, Birchington Alpha Road, Birchington Station Road, Westgate St. Mildreds Bay, Westgate (no radar key needed during winter hours) Accommodation nearby: For Accommodation to suit your needs have a look at the following website http://www.iknow-kent.co.uk/thanet/disabled_access/ Website Our website www.quexmuseum.org contains information on the museum and house including opening times, events and facilities. To make this website easier to read, you will find links in the footer which you can use to adjust the font size and all our images have been enhanced. Car Park We have 3 designated Disabled Parking Spaces in our private car park, which is well lit and protected by CCTV. Although the bays are not marked out on the ground, there is a sign at eye level to indicate which spaces are for disabled visitors.
Car Park Disabled Car Parking signs
Distance to front door from drop off area We have an area directly in front of the reception area which can be used as a drop off and pick up area. The ground in the car park is concrete and prone to pot holes in the winter. It is quite uneven in places. Entrance and Reception The main entrance is situated on the ground floor with step free, level access, throughout. There are double doors which both open to allow a space of 1m32cm/4ft 4 between. The doors hold open on their own but are heavy, so assistance may be required. The distance between the doors and the reception desk is 4m/13ft and the ground is tiled with 2 non-slip mats to prevent slipping. The reception desk stands 1m4cm/3ft 5 from the ground and is 3m65cm/12ft long. The light in the reception area is bright in the summer but can be dim in the winter months. There is an induction loop system at the Till Point at the reception desk.
We have 2 wheelchairs available for you to borrow for your visit. It s advisable to book these in advance. Our Guide book is available in large print upon request. We have an infrared hearing loop system which can be used in the event of a talk or guided tour. We have magnifiers and periscopes available to borrow. There are comfortable chairs next to the reception area and chairs and tables dotted all the way along the main corridor which leads to the museum. We offer a concession price of 6.00 (peak time) to those with a disability. Carers are welcomed free of charge. Our card machine is on a wire stretching to a distance of 1m52cm/5ft. Reception area
Museum Entrance
Gate and corridor to the Museum A swinging gate to the right hand side of reception leads you to the main corridor. The gate opens up to allow a space of 1m/3ft 4. Museum Open from 13 th January - 18 th December 2015, 10am 5pm, Tuesday Sunday. (Open Bank Holiday Mondays.) The corridor to the museum is 22m24cm/73ft long and 2m20cm/7ft 3 wide. It is well lit in the summer but dimmer in the winter. Some of the floor tiles are cracked but the path is even and level. Large windows with chairs and tables line the corridor on one side and there is a brick wall with temporary panel exhibitions and interpretation on the other side. The museum is entirely situated on the ground floor with no closed doorways to navigate. It is level with the only exception being a small, wide ramp down to gallery 3. A Front of
House Museum member of staff or Volunteer is present in the museum at all times to offer assistance. Museum Main Corridor Entrance to Gallery 3 Ramp in Gallery 3 Gallery 1 is a wide open room with display cabinets lining the perimeter. The lighting is set dim but can be made brighter on request. (Applicable to all galleries). The floor is wooden. Gallery 2 has a large display cabinet running the length of the left side of the gallery with glass from floor to ceiling. There are 4 display cabinets in this gallery with objects which are low and objects which line the top of the cabinets. The cabinets stand 104cm/41 tall. On the right hand side of this gallery is the Kashmir diorama which is behind screens to protect the taxidermy from light damage. The space to get behind the screen is 66cm/26½.
Entrance to Kashmir Diorama in Gallery 2 Gallery 3 is accessed via a wide ramp with handrails. There is a wide space around a central display cabinet and again the dioramas are around the outside of the gallery. Gallery 6 is through glass doors with an opening of 1m32cm/4ft 4½. The doors are kept open during opening times. In this gallery are drawers which can be opened by visitors, assistance may be required with this. There is a cube in the gallery which contains items from the museum s handling collection. Assistance with higher placed objects may be required. The entrance to the cube is 1m29cm/4ft 3 wide. All other galleries are accessed via or form part of our wide corridors.
Gallery 6 The Cube in Gallery 6
House Quex house is accessible through Gallery 8, up a small ramp and through doors with a space of 1m/40. The doors are kept open during House opening times, which are 1pm 4pm Tuesday Sunday, from 31 st March 1 st November 2015. The ground floor of the house is wooden with long carpets and rugs scattered throughout. The length of the ground floor is 34.5m/114 feet end to end. Entrance to the House
Entrance to the House There are 2 display cabinets in the house which stand 1m/39 tall. The first floor of the house is up a flight of stairs and is not accessible by wheelchair. However, there is a film playing at the bottom of the stairs in the Grand Hall with a description of the rooms, the feature objects and the upstairs landing. The film is subtitled. The floors in the upstairs rooms are all also wooden with various rugs forming a walk way.
Ground floor of the House
Stairs in the House TV Screen with video of upstairs rooms in the house
Gardens Quex Gardens are open from 13 th January 18 th December 2015 from 10am 5pm Tuesday Sunday and are accessible via a corridor running beside the Reception and Gift Shop area. The corridor has a width of 1m32cm/52 and is 18m/59ft long, there are seats dotted all the way along this corridor. There is a fire door half way down the corridor which is kept open during opening times and is 1m18cm/46½ wide. The main doors to the gardens have pull down handles and are quite heavy so assistance would be required. The door opens straight out on to a sloped walkway so assistance is required going down and back up. There are currently plans to lengthen the slope and therefore lessen the gradient. Slope to Gardens from Museum Slope to Museum from Gardens
Access past Cannon collection (under cover) Narrowest point of path near Pump House There is a tarmac pathway running the entire perimeter of the gardens via the Woodland Walk. The narrowest point of the pathway is 1m24cm/49 wide at its narrowest point by the pump house. Much of the pathway in the main garden is even, however some areas are uneven and there are several cracks as tree roots are pushing up the pathway. There are some low hanging trees and plants.
Pathway in garden Gateway to walled Garden In the far corner is a walled garden with a gate entrance 83cm/33 wide, the pathway around the walled garden is very cracked and uneven so assistance would be required. The cactus house is open to visitors to walk around and has a door 87cm/34½ wide, the door is pinned back when garden is open.
Pathway in Walled Garden The Cactus House There is an outside seating area and there are benches dotted around the paths.
Public Toilets We have one unisex accessible toilet for the sole use of visitors. The toilet complies with regulations for accessible toilets and there is more than the specified clear floor space of 1200mmx1200mm. The door slides open with a width of 97cm/38. The spaces to either side the WC are 70cm/27 to the left and 32cm/12 to the right. The transfer to the toilet is now an angled transfer to the right. The hot water is controlled at point of delivery. There is an adapted WC in Mama Feelgoods café (see below) which is within 30m/98 feet from the museum entrance. This WC is also unisex and is not for the sole use of disabled visitors. Powell-Cotton Museum Accessible Toilet
Mama Feelgoods Accessible Toilet Gift Shop The gift shop is situated behind the reception area. There are two entrances to the shop - the left entrance is 1m19cm/3ft 11 and the right entrance is 1m37cm/4ft 6. There is a central display unit which is in the centre of the shop at a height of 1m21cm/4ft, so assistance may be required with objects at the furthest point.
Shelves run around the perimeter of the shop with 3 shelves on each section. The first shelf is 73cm/2ft 5 high, middle shelf is 1m19cm/3ft11 high and the top shelf is 1m21cm/4ft high. Assistance may be required for items on the top shelf. The pay point at the shop is the same as the reception desk which is 1m4cm/3ft 5 high. Mama Feelgoods Café On site we have Mama Feelgoods Boutique café which is open from Tuesday Saturday 10am 4.30pm and Sunday 10am 4pm (closed Mondays except Bank Holidays). See below for menus - to book or discuss dietary requirements please call 01843 482004. www.mamafeelgoods.com Ramp up to the Café
Entrance to the Café Interior of Mama Feelgoods
Café Indoor Seating Area Toilet in Café Mama Feelgoods provide a venue for group lunch bookings and is also used as a wedding venue. The entrance to the function room can either be reached through our reception area or via the front patio shown below:
Front Patio to Weddings and Function Room Back Patio to Weddings and Function Room
Rear exit of Weddings and Function Room