HAPPY NEW YEAR
There is dedicated parking for blue badge holders outside the entrances to the Gatehouse and the Farm Shop.
The entrance to the Hall and Gardens is through our Gatehouse. We will happily open the gates for you if the doorway is too narrow. Double doors across the estate provide access to the shops, cafés and our Coach House.
2 for 1 entry for carers. Carers of disabled visitors (who themselves are only able to visit the House and/or Gardens with the help of a carer) are admitted free of charge.
We have disabled facilities in the Gardens, Farm Shop Café courtyard, Grain Store Café and the Coach House.
To ensure all visitors experience the Hall, we have a virtual tour of the upper-floors available on the ground floor. With both sound and text, this provides a successful alternative view for those who cannot easily access the upper floors. Please note that electric scooters/wheelchairs cannot be used in the Hall.
The upper two floors are not accessible to wheelchairs. However, we do provide ramps to enable manual wheelchair access on the ground floor. The Hall is not suitable for pushchairs as the upper floors are not accessible, we recommend leaving pushchairs at the front desk.
Access to the Long Gallery for wedding guests with accessibility needs can be discussed directly with our Wedding Manager, Justine Shakespeare, on 01522 812501 or by email: justine@doddingtonhall.com
The Coach House is fully accessible to wheelchairs. The entrance has double doors and there are no steps from the Green Wing dining room into the garden. There is a disabled loo on the ground floor.
Due to the nature of our period properties we are unfortunately unable to list our accommodation as ‘suitable for accessibility needs’. Shakespeare Cottage has a downstairs bedroom with an ensuite wet room which can be helpful for any guests who are unable to make stairs. All queries can be discussed with our Accommodation Coordinator on 01522 699162 or by email: stay@doddingtonhall.com
If you are organising a group visit and there are members of your party for whom the stairs will be a problem, please inform us in advance and we will ensure we have extra guides to conduct our virtual tour of the upper floors of the Hall.
Most of the 5 acre gardens can be explored by wheelchair. Please be aware, this is mostly on grass and gravel paths which can be harder to navigate for a standard wheelchair. We provide a series of ramps and graded slopes to provide access to the various levels in the gardens. It may also be difficult on the gravel, grass and ramps for some users depending on the weather conditions. A free map indicating the routes that avoid steps and narrow bridges is available from the Gatehouse. Please be aware that the distances to get around the garden in a wheelchair are longer due to the location of the ramps.
We have created sensory tours of both the Hall and the Gardens with accompanying tactile drawings and plans. As our tours are designed to be experienced with a sighted companion we can provide a volunteer to accompany our visually impaired visitors, bookable in advance by calling our estate office.
Assistance dogs are welcome in the Hall, Gardens, shops and cafes at Doddington.