New Brewery Arts | 1st March 2019

Location: New Brewery Arts
Brewery Court
Cirencester
Gloucestershire, GL7 1JH

Date of visit: 1st March 2019

Parking

There is no customer parking for the venue but there is a public car park The Brewery Car Park 1-2 minutes walking distance with flat access for wheelchair users. There are 6 accessible parking bays here and you can park for free with no time limit with a blue badge permit.

Entrance

The main entrance was sufficiently wide with automatic double doors, this entrance is flat making it accessible for everybody with no need for a ramp. When entering the building there are stairs directly in front, to the right is a sloped area with a banister which leads you to the gift shop on your right and to your left is a lift and through another door are toilets including accessible toilet.

There is good contrast in colours between the floor and the walls which makes it easy to follow for people with visual impairments.

Guide dogs are welcomed to all areas of the New Brewery Arts.

Craft shop

The craft shop which is to the right of the main entrance has lots on offer from local artwork to jewellery, the aisles and turning points can be quite tight which can make it difficult to manoeuvre in a wheelchair or if you had a visual impairment. Extra care needs to be taken due to breakable items in the shop. Most of the items in the shop are within eyeline for wheelchair users or people of smaller stature. There are a few cabinets with higher shelves however, the shop assistant came to ask whether I would like to see them and advised she would show them to me.

The shop has an open ceiling and the café was above, the café was quite busy making it quite noisy in the shop.

Toilet

There are separate male, female toilets and one accessible toilet. They are located past the main entrance to the left, there is a manual door which may be difficult for some to open by themselves. If you require assistance you could ask the shop assistant.

The accessible toilet door opens inwards and is quite heavy and there is a baby changing unit in here. The room is spacious and well within minimum requirements and the toilet has all the necessary rails to be able to transfer to the toilet safely.

The toilet cistern is quite noisy which could be off putting.

The sink, hand soap dispenser and toilet roll dispenser are all at an adequate height.

Lift

The lift is located through the main entrance and towards the back of the building. It takes you 4 different floors including the ground floor. The first floor is the café, second is the gallery, third is part of the studios. The buttons and signage are a little hard to understand within the lift.

The lift is quite small but big enough for a wheelchair and one other person depending on size. The dimensions of the lift are approx. 140cm x 110cm.

The lift has dual entry doors which makes it easier and limits the need to reverse out of the lift (there is not enough room to turn around in the lift.) there is a mirror on one side wall to aid with reversing from the lift.

There is a voice over within the lift to aid with direction.

Café

The café is on the first floor and is accessible via the lift. The café was busy with lots of people and so quite noisy. They serve lots of homemade food from organic and locally sourced ingredients so understandably is very popular. If you prefer a quiet corner, then the café may be a bit overwhelming.

The tables are quite close together and when filled with people sitting around them made it difficult to get to the counter in my wheelchair, which was at the far end. My PA went to the counter to make our order instead. The menus are nice and lightweight, there are no large print menus.

My hot chocolate was, however, delicious!

The barrel store (Accommodation)

There is a newly built accommodation suite at the back of the site. This is more of a hostel type so are small and basic, but they are very clean and modernised. There are 14 rooms, 1 of these rooms is wheelchair accessible on the ground floor.

The wheelchair accessible room would be suitable for a smaller sized wheelchair, I have a small wheelchair and was only just able to turn around within the room. There is one single bed in the room so not suitable for people wanting to share a room.

There is currently no shower chair in the accessible bathroom so showering may not be possible for wheelchair users. The shower head is fixed very high on the wall and is not adjustable.

The toilet is left-hand transfer and there are suitable grab rails for this. The other facilities such as sink, and soap dispenser are at a suitable height.

There is currently no vibrating pillow for people with hearing impairments but is being looked into.

There are two other rooms on the ground floor, due to limited space I wouldn’t recommend these to wheelchair users.

The barrel store (Communal areas)

There are double manual doors to enter the building, there is a key code for guests to let themselves in making the area nice and safe. There is also a buzzer to ring for assistance if needed. On the other side of the door is an exit release button, the doors are heavy so may require assistance.

The foyer is a bright open space and to the left is a communal kitchen and eating area. There is a long table that could seat approx. 14 people and a well-equipped kitchen, all of the equipment is at a lowered height and there is a full-length fridge. A wheelchair user could use this kitchen without assistance.

There is a disabled toilet within the communal area, there is a push button to open and close the door automatically, which is useful. The door allows plenty of time to enter and exit the room before closing. The toilet is not a huge size but is still useable.

Makers Studios

It was interesting to visit the studios and see many of the artists at work. There are 10 studios, spread across 4 floors. 7 of which have step free access, 1 is down a flight of stairs under the ground so not accessible for people with limited mobility, 2 are on the ground floor but have one small step at the doorway, I was not able to get my electric chair over the step.

The 7 accessible studios have lots on offer including workshops such as sculpting, printmaking and ceramics. There was a pottery wheel which I was able to get my wheelchair around and accessible tables for the painting meaning I could have taken part in the ceramics workshop. The glass blowers studio was fascinating to watch the beautiful handmade glass being made and the staff came over to explain and show you what they were doing.

There are other studios are on the first and top floor accessed via a lift, the sculpture studio is through the café and across a bridge. All studios above the ground floor have step free access, the walkways are clear and easy to get to.

Gallery

There is a gallery located on the first floor which is accessible via the lift. The exhibitions here are free to visit. It is a big open room with bright lighting. It is all level entry with no steps and there is a good contrast between the floor and wall to aid orientation.

Customer service

All the staff working in the studios, shop, café and office are very helpful and asked how they could accommodate me with my wheelchair.

Accessibility Rating

Physical

Four out of five

Sensory

Four out of five