Dyffryn Gardens Access Statement
Contact Details Dyffryn Gardens, St Nicholas, Vale of Glamorgan CF5 6SU Telephone: 02920 593328 Email: [email protected] Website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dyffryn-gardens
Introduction Dyffryn Gardens is one of Wales’ most celebrated gardens. Home to the Cory family at the end of the nineteenth century the 55 acre site comprises of large grass lawns, intimate garden rooms, intricate formal flower beds, a glasshouse and a magnificent 22 acre arboretum. Nestled at the centre of the estate is Dyffryn House, a mansion which re-opened to visitors in 2013 after being closed for almost two decades. The house is partially furnished and very much a work in progress, with an extensive stoneworks project planned for 2019 which will restore the South Front. Dyffryn is undergoing an ambitious restoration and revival, with every visit helping support the important conservation efforts our staff and volunteers carry out every day, in all weathers. Every penny spent here contributes to this crucial work, whether it be on delicious homemade dishes made with Kitchen Garden produce, on artisan crafts by local makers in our shop or a rare find in our second–hand bookshops.
A free Introduction to Dyffryn Gardens is available in braille, large-print and audio- recording. Please contact us on 02920 593328 or email [email protected] to request one prior to your visit.
Guidebooks are available to buy from our Visitor Welcome Centre. Alternative formats are available on request.
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General information for visitors with disabilities
Garden Opening Hours 2019
1st January to 10th February: 10am – 4pm Last entry 3pm
11th February to 31st March: 10am – 5pm Last entry 4pm
1st April to 29th September: 10am – 6pm Last entry 5pm* *Open until 8pm (Last entry 7pm) on selected dates in July/August
30th September to 20th October: 10am – 5pm Last entry 4pm
21st October to 31st December: 10am – 4pm Last entry 3pm
House Opening Hours 2019
1st January to 10th February: 12pm – 3.30pm Last entry 3pm
11th February to 20th October: 12pm – 3pm Last entry 3.30pm
21st October to 31st December: 12pm – 3.30pm Last entry 3pm
o There is reasonable mobile phone reception across most of the site except in and around Dyffryn House and the Cory Education Centre. o Assistance dogs are welcome throughout the estate and in all our buildings. There are water bowls at the Visitor Welcome Centre, Dyffryn House, South Terrace, Cory Education Centre and Glasshouse. Water is available elsewhere on the property on request. Dog waste can be disposed of in general waste bins. o Dogs other than assistance dogs are welcome on short leads across the site with the exception of Dyffryn House, Glasshouse, Gardens Café and Gallery Café. o Light levels in Dyffryn House are kept low to protect the collection. o There are manual wheelchairs and mobility scooters available for loan free of charge from the Visitor Welcome Centre. o Breastfeeding is welcomed in all areas of our property. If you require a private space, please ask a member of the team who will be happy to arrange this for you. o We offer a Visitor Buggy service to access certain key areas of the garden: the arboretum, great lawn, House and Gallery Café and Kitchen Gardens. This is subject to volunteer availability. If you would like to know ahead of your visit whether there will be a volunteer buggy driver then please feel free to call in the week preceding your visit.
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Facilities for blind or visually-impaired visitors
Tours
Sensory tours of the gardens and of Dyffryn House can be arranged on request. Please note this is dependent on volunteer availability so please contract us at least 2 weeks in advance by contacting us on 02920 593328 or email [email protected].
A sensory experience
We encourage visitors to touch, feel and smell the plants in the garden (though please be sensitive to delicate specimens and watch out for the cacti in the Glasshouse!
Facilities for deaf or hearing-impaired visitors
Induction Loops
Our volunteer guides can wear portable induction loops on request. If you would like to use the loop system please contact us on 02920 593328 or email [email protected] in advance to ensure availability.
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Facilities for visitors on the autism spectrum
We welcome visitors with autism to Dyffryn Gardens. If you, or somebody in your party, are on the Autism Spectrum and you would like to discuss your visit in advance please contact us on 02920 593328 or email [email protected].
For your information our quietest days are Tuesday to Thursday. And our quietest times to arrive are shortly after opening at 10am, or for an afternoon visit at 3pm. Please be advised that last entry to the house is at 3.30pm so afternoon visitors may want to arrange to see the house first before exploring the gardens.
We understand that queuing, noisy machinery and bustling spaces can be challenging and our team are on hand to help minimise any disruption to your visit.
The Visitor Welcome Centre team can take admission payments in advance or provide an alternative entrance to avoid our sometimes bustling entrance area.
Our Food and Beverage team can assist with any pre-orders of refreshments from our Garden’s Café or Gallery Café, and can make up a picnic/packed-lunch if you prefer. Alternatively, a member of the team will be happy to come to your table to assist you in ordering.
We encourage visitors with autism to participate in tours and activities and are committed to ensuring that everyone can enjoy all that Dyffryn Gardens has to offer. We welcome feedback from visitors so that we can shape our experiences to ensure everyone is welcome.
Planning your visit o For full details and maps of how to reach us, please visit how to get here on our website. o The nearest railway station is Cardiff Central which is approximately 7 miles (11.3km) away. o The nearest bus service is the X2 to St Nicholas, which stops at the junction of Dyffryn Lane and A48. There is then a 1 mile (1.6km) walk along a winding country road without pavement. o There are a series of tourist attraction brown signs directing you to our property. Look out for Dyffryn and the National Trust oak leaf logo. The roads narrow as you approach the property.
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Admission prices
Our admission policy admits the necessary companions, or carers, of a disabled visitor free of charge, on request, while the usual membership, or admission fee, applies to the visitor with a disability.
To save having to ‘request’ free entry for your companion, an 'Access for all Admit One Card' can be issued by our Supporter Service Centre. This card is made out in the name of the disabled person, not the companion, so there is not a restriction to taking the same person on each visit.
To request an Access for all Admit One Card, or to find information on the Access for All Links Pass for disabled groups please contact our Supporter Service Centre on 01793 817634 or email [email protected]. They will need the name and full postal address of the disabled person or group.
Arrival and Parking
Dyffryn Gardens is open daily* from 10am. Closing times vary seasonally. For full details, our opening times can be viewed on our website. *Closed Christmas Day and Boxing Day
Car parking is free to all visitors. We ask that non-visitors with disabilities park in the overflow car parks and make the short journey to the main entrance.
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There is overflow parking as you enter the site which has space for approximately 70 cars and is approximately 200m away from the Visitor Welcome Centre.
During dry weather, additional parking is available on the grass of North Field.
A one-way system is in place in our Visitor Welcome Centre car park. Please pay attention to the directional signs as our car park is unmanned. On busy event days, volunteer stewards will be in place to ensure that priority parking is given to visitors with disabilities.
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Our Visitor Welcome Centre car park has space for approximately 60 cars, including 9 clearly marked accessible parking spaces which are approximately 20m from the main entrance.
The car park surfaces vary between hard-core/large gravel, fine gravel and natural, slightly undulating grass. As such, car park spaces are not marked.
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Cycle racks are available at Visitor Welcome Centre.
There is one electric vehicle charging point available for use free of charge. It is located in the Visitor Welcome Centre car park.
Coaches can drop off at the Visitor Welcome Centre, and may be parked in the overflow car park or directed to alternative parking by the welcome team.
Visitor Welcome Centre and Shop
This is the main entrance to Dyffryn Gardens. Admission is free to National Trust members and our prices can be viewed on our website.
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There is no admission charge to view the plant sales areas or Shop. All display points are laid out to allow for easy access around the shop. Should you require assistance to reach items or carrying shopping to your vehicle, our team will be happy to help.
The surfacing in this area is flat with a concrete based floor with brick and plaster walls. The entrance to the gardens is to the left on entering Visitor Welcome Centre. The 90cm wide glass door is non-power operated and opens inwards to about 90 degrees. Another 90cm wide glass door leading to the gardens opens outwards to 90 degrees also. Both doors have an additional slave door making it possible to open the doors to a width of 145cm.
A Visitor Buggy operates from Visitor Welcome Centre to escort visitors with limited mobility around the site. Please note that this service is dependent on volunteer availability. Please contact us on 02920 593328 or email [email protected] to notify us if you require this service. The distance between the Visitor Welcome Centre and the House entrance is 222 metres.
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Garden’s Café
There is no admission charge to use the Garden’s Café.
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The 170cm wide glass entrance doors are non-power operated and open outwards to about 90 degrees.
Outdoor seating for 60 people is available at the front entrance to the Garden’s Café. Inside the café is seating for 65 people. Tables are well spaced apart with a mixture of upright chairs with or without arms.
Another 170cm wide glass door leads to the ‘Back Garden’ of the Gardens Café where accessible picnic tables are available to transfer onto. There is a ramp (gradient 1:25) leading into the Back Garden and the picnic tables are situated in a grassy area. This area is for Garden’s Café customers only; there is no through-access for visitors to Dyffryn Gardens.
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We do our best to cater for any dietary requirement. Where possible all our food produce is locally sourced, with many vegetables and fruit grown in our very own Kitchen Garden. Many of our dishes are gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian.
Sandwiches, snacks drinks and ice creams are available at the counter on a self-serve basis. The Garden’s Café menu is displayed on chalkboards behind the service counter and our staff are happy to run through menu options with you.
East Lodge Toilets
Adjacent to the Visitor Welcome Centre is the East Lodge. Toilet facilities are on the ground floor and comprise of male, female and accessible toilets.
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The accessible toilet flooring is level and surfacing is a concrete based floor with brick and plaster walls. Flat non-slip mats are in place to absorb rainwater and catch leaf debris. There are vertical and horizontal rails either side of the toilet. An emergency alarm pull cord is present and will sound an alarm and flashing light when activated. There is a reset button near the door if pulled in error. Overhead lighting is in place but overall lighting is low.
Baby changing facilities and sanitary bins are available in each suite of toilets.
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Finding your way around the site
All visitors are offered a welcome map of the gardens which gives a suggested accessible route.
There is respite seating placed around the gardens. Benches are located in areas with good viewpoint; in many of the garden rooms, along pathways and in the Glasshouse.
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Please note there are mixed surface paths with some steep slopes. Some pathways are narrow and uneven due to tree roots and water rivulets. Paved areas can become very slippery when wet. Although some handrails are in place, most steps do not have them.
True to the original garden design, some plants overflow onto pathways or hang low overhead.
Dyffryn House
Access to the house is via a wooden ramp with handrails on both sides. Ramp width – 1.62 metres. Handrail height- 0.9 metres.
The entrance doorways to the house are 1.65 metres wide with no steps. All the surfaces in the house are tile, wood or floorboard with some rugs.
Ground floor—Most floors are smooth and even without steps with some exceptions as follows:-
There are wooden pews on raised platforms to the edges of the Billiard Room.
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There is a 1cm height difference in the floor between the Morning Room and the Library and a 1cm high threshold strip between the Billiard Room and the Great Hall
There is a 10cm step between the Library and the Boudoir.
There is a 3cm step between the Boudoir and the corridor leading to the Great Hall
The floor around the doorways in the Boudoir has some height variation and unevenness.
Doorways
Most doorways are in excess of 1 metre wide with the following exceptions:-
Red Drawing Room to Morning Room 0.84 metres
Library to Great Hall 0.96 metres
Library to Boudoir 0.77 metres
Boudoir to Corridor 0.86 metres
Some doorways, although in excess of 1 metre wide, have wooden and brass plates raising the height by approximately 1.5cm to the edges. Please see below.
Other points to note:-
Light levels are especially low in the Red Drawing Room to protect the silks on the walls.
The Library and Boudoir have narrow doorways, steps and floor unevenness. Please see the notes above.
Most Rooms have more than one doorway and, with the exception of the library and boudoir, are easy to access.
There is a slide show in the Oak Room which lasts approximately eight minutes.
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Visiting upstairs
Upstairs Floors- floors are mostly level and bare wood, however there is a 1cm rise between the hallway and the rooms leading off it. The door ways are 89cm wide, the doors also have wooden and brass plates raising the height by approximately 1.5cm to the edges and narrowing the doorways to 59cm.
Staircases
The main staircase is located outside the Oak Room. It has one hand rail, 12cm wide. The stairs are wooden and uncarpeted. The stair treads are 124cm wide, 16cm high and 33cm deep.
A second staircase is in place for evacuating visitors in the unlikely event of a fire. It has one handrail . The stairs are wooden and uncarpeted with rubber tread markers. The stair treads are 70cm wide, 19cm high and 27cm deep.
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Visitor Lift
A lift is located next to the Billiard Room. Please notify a volunteer if you wish to use it.
Please note, owing to the historic structure of the House we are unable to provide a refuge zone for visitors using wheelchairs to awaiting evacuation during a fire, and are similarly unable to use chair-evac systems. Please only use the lift if you are confident that your party will be able to safely evacuate using the fire exit staircase in the event of a fire.
Gallery Café
Entrance to the Gallery Café is via a fine gravel path and concrete slabbed path. There are no steps but a slight variation in level. Please see below.
Surfaces within the Gallery Café are smooth wood and carpet. There are no steps within the space. The accessible toilet within this area is accessed via an incline and outward opening door.
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Cory Education Centre
This is accessed via double doors and with coir matting and smooth linoleum surface within. There are no steps or level changes within this area. There is a toilet block to the left of this building with standard width cubicles and an individual toilet within the Education Centre. Doorway width 81cm.
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Additional Information
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 visitors.
If you have any questions ahead of your visit, or would like to give feedback from a recent trip to Dyffryn Gardens, please do contact us on 02920 593328 or email [email protected] make every effort to ensure all visitors experience this special place and hope you have a very enjoyable visit.
Walking Distances
Accessible Parking Bays to Visitor Welcome Centre 40 – 45 metres
Visitor Welcome Centre to House entrance 222 metres
Gardens Cafe to Accessible Toilet (East Lodge) 35 metres
Visitor Welcome Centre to Buggy Stop 22 metres (This can pick up closer on request when available)
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Last amended 23/03/2019
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