This unique site was opened as a visitor centre in 2001 but was originally built in 1875. The visitor centre, which has been specifically designed to be inclusive for all visitors, is on two floors, with the cafe and shop on the upper floor and an exhibition on the lower floor.
There is wheelchair access down to the quay for the boat trip from the lower floor. The zig-zagged path takes visitors past a viewing point and picnic area.
Wheelchair users and visitors with limited ambulant ability can access the boat via a ramp and hydraulic platform lift. The commentary is extremely informative and as well as the Lift trips there is a longer trip along the River Weaver at lunchtime each day.
Main entrance, reception and ticketing area
- we are open: Easter - September, 7 days, 10.00am - 5.00pm with trip boat / October, Wednesday - Sunday, 11.00am - 4.00pm with trip boat / November Thursday - Sunday, 11.00am - 4.00pm no trip boat
- entrance is through automatic sliding doors for easy access across a fixed decked bridge. Railings and handrails either side
- the welcome desk is open plan, with the height suitable to allow wheelchair users to access
- lighting is a combination of natural light and electric light
- in the main visitor centre the main entrance is on the upper floor
- cafe, gift shop, toilets and welcome desk are all located on this level
- lower floor houses the exhibition area and private boating booking office
- there are 24 metal stairs leading down to the exhibition area with yellow and white edging
- there is a public passenger lift between these two levels that can hold up to eight persons or one wheelchair and typically two people. The lift is equipped with an emergency link to a call centre
- there are no corridors or internal doors to manoeuvre inside the main visitor centre except those leading into the toilets
- all indoor public areas are no smoking
- there is a wheelchair that you can hire for free, however, we’ll need a deposit of £10, which is refundable on return
Toilets
You’ll find out toilets in three areas:
- the main entrance – ladies and gents toilets each with a disabled cubicle. The ladies also has baby changing facilities and three further cubicles. The gents has one further cubicle and two urinals
- lower exhibition floor – unisex disabled and baby changing facilities
the grounds/gardens – this is along a decked level path to separate ladies, gents and disabled facilities
- hand washing facilities are in each of the toilet areas. Separate hand wash basins are provided in the disabled cubicles along with hand rails
Cafe
- the cafe seats a maximum of 60 people in one sitting and is on a first come, first served basis
- tables vary in size from small two-person to larger four-person tables
- all tables are at a wheelchair accessible height and you can move chairs to make more space if you need to
- our team is always on hand to help wheelchair users where needed
- we cater for vegetarians and gluten free diets. If you have other dietary requirements please do talk to a member of our team for help
- the service counter is self service, with sandwiches and cold drinks in a refrigerator, hot drinks and food is served from the till by our team
Shop
- the shop, cafe and welcome desk are all on the upper floor with an open plan layout
- wheelchairs have easy access around the two central stands of the shop
- guide dogs are welcome
- many items are at a low level but if you find it difficult to reach, one of our team will be happy to help
all items are clearly labelled
Conference and meeting rooms, banqueting
Narrow boat trip
- our glass topped trip boat, Edwin Clark, seats up to 56 passengers (none standing)
- the boat takes a maximum of two wheelchairs with a hydraulic lift to transport these into the trip boat
- there is one step onto the boat, then a further three steps into the boat. there are handrails either side of the steps
- all the windows are emergency exits that slide to open
Exhibition area
- on the lower level of the main visitor centre is open plan with interpretation boards along the walls and free-standing interactives
- interpretation boards are designed with different sizes of lettering to suit different abilities and sights
- our DVD presentation has seating and an induction loop
- free standing interactives are positioned at an accessible height for wheelchairs
Maze and children’s play area
- the maze is within our gardens on a hard, level surface but it is sadly difficult for wheelchairs to access
- our children’s play area is also in the gardens and has fully accessible areas suitable for wheelchairs and pushchairs
- a wooden fence approx 1m in height, surrounds the play area
Grounds and gardens
- our landscaped grounds and gardens are on a gradient there is a graded pathway 350m long with a tarmac surface leading customers through the grounds
- along the pathway there is seating and rest points at various intervals ranging from 20 - 80m apart
- at the lower trip boat moorings there are 14 steps with a non-slip edging strip however, an alternative route is available for the less-able bodied and wheelchairs
wheelchair accessible picnic benches are on the upper and lower ground areas
- between pathways there are grass verges, which may be uneven under foot. You may want to stick to the pathways
at the upper trip boat moorings the is a ramp onto the trip boat or three steps. The surface is tarmac with four mooring rods located next to the water’s edge. The waterside is open with no fencing
Viewing platform
- 45m from the visitor centre
- it is a decked platform looking out onto the lift itself, with tactile mapping to illustrate
Additional information
- Brail maps of the site are available on request at the welcome desk only
- guide dogs are welcome and we can provide them with water when you ask
- there is a no smoking policy within the internal buildings
- first aid facilities are at the welcome desk or just ask a member of the team
