Access Statement Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery November

Access Statement

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery

November 2018

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH T: +44 (0)121 348 8000 E: [email protected] | birminghammuseums.org.uk Birmingham Museums Limited. Registered Office: Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH Company No: 07737797 | Charity No: 1147014 | VAT Reg No: 765 3574 02

Introduction

Opened in 1885, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is a vibrant museum in the heart of

Birmingham city centre with over 40 galleries displaying world-class collections of art, social history, archaeology and ethnography. We are home to the Staffordshire Hoard gallery and house the largest public Pre-Raphaelite collection of art works in the world.

The museum holds centuries of European history and culture and is home to art collections of international importance, there is also a celebration of local and industrial history in the ‘Birmingham: Its People, Its History’ gallery. Whether you have one hour or the whole day to explore, with our fantastic exhibitions and an exciting programme of events there is something for everyone to enjoy.

There are accessible toilets on all levels and baby change facilities are available for use. There is also a fully accessible first aid room.

The main Art Gallery and museum building, Gas Hall and Waterhall are all fully accessible for visitors with mobility issues with lift access to all floors. Wheelchairs are available to borrow and available for use in all areas.

Assistance dogs are very welcome and a water bowl is available for use within our

Edwardian Tea Rooms.

All of our audio visual displays are subtitled and there are several large print gallery interpretations around the building.

We look forward to welcoming you. If you have any queries or require assistance, please phone 0121 348 8032.

Pre Arrival

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is located on Chamberlain Square, off Victoria

Square, a 10 minute walk from Birmingham New Street Station and Grand Central.

By Bus/Metro

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is located within Chamberlain square in the City

Centre of Birmingham and within short walking distance of Colmore Row where a number of city centre buses terminate. The closest bus stop to the museum is on

Edmund Street for buses 9, X10, 82, 87, 89, 120, 127 and 128.

There is also a Midland Metro tram that runs from Wolverhampton to Birmingham Grand

Central/Birmingham New Street Station every 8-15 minutes, 7 days per week.

Timetables and prices can be found via their website http://www.nationalexpress.com/help-and-advice/tickets/fares-tickets-and- coachcards.aspx

More information about the accessibility of the bus services can be found via the

National Express website: http://nxbus.co.uk/west-midlands/legal/wheelchair-buggy- and-mobility-scooter-guidance/

For local travel information, please consult: http://www.networkwestmidlands.com/

By Rail

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery is located a short walking distance from all central stations:

0.4 miles from New Street station (estimated 10 minute walk)

0.4 miles from Snow Hill station (estimated 10 minute walk)

0.6 miles from Moor Street station (estimated 20 minute walk)

The nearest mainline train station is New Street Station. Take the New Street exit of the station and turn left upon New Street. Continue to Victoria Square and turn right as you approach Birmingham Town Hall. The main entrance will be on your right or follow the pathway round to the right for entrances to the lift entrance, Gas Hall or Waterhall.

Moor Street Station (20 minutes walk away). Follow clear signage to New Street Station and follow instructions above.

Please refer to National Rail website for train times and fares.

By Road

For Sat Nav and Google Maps use postcode B3 3DH. Only minutes from the Bullring and Birmingham Grand Central, the nearest motorways are the M6, M5 and M42.

Car Parking and Arrival

There is no car park at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, but the nearest multi-storey car park is Birmingham Town Hall car park, of which information can be found here: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/directory_record/6698/town_hall_multi-storey_car_park

Upon parking and leaving the Town Hall car park, turn right once exiting on Brunel

Street, left on Navigation Street and take the first left again up Hill Street, continuing to

Chamberlain Square and the main entrance ahead of you. The walk is approximately 5 minutes.

Parking bays for Blue Badge Holders can be found on Margaret Street and Edmund

Street which are in close proximity to our Edmund Street lift entrance.

Please view the Birmingham City Council website for more information on Blue Badge

City Centre Parking: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/bluebadgeparking

Please note that from 2015 onwards, extensive road works will affect the traffic flow and pedestrian access around Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, to check details, go to http://www.paradisebirmingham.co.uk/access/ https://www.tfwm.org.uk/development/midland-metro-extensions/birmingham-city- centre/

Entrances, Receptions and Ticketing Areas

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has multiple entrances with different levels of accessibility.

Chamberlain Square – Main Entrance

 From the main entrance on Chamberlain Square, the museum can be accessed

by going up 10 steps and through the wooden doors.

 Once through the wooden doors, access to the galleries is up a further 42 steps

At the top of the staircase, you will arrive at the Vestibule reception desk where you are able to pick up a free map (donations welcome) and buy tickets for guided tours. The reception desk is wheelchair accessible, with two levels of counters at 30 inches and 46 inches

Edmund Street – Lift Access & Gas Hall

 From our entrance on Edmund Street, you will find a lift which accesses all floors.

Door width 43” or 1m09cm

There is a buzzer for access out of hours, located to the right of the glass lift entrance doors.

To access the Gas Hall and the galleries, there is also a staircase with 5 steps to get into the building and then 11 steps leading to a reception desk where you can purchase tickets for paying events, exhibitions and activities. The height of this desk is 43 inches and 28.5 inches

Waterhall

The Waterhall is one of Birmingham Museums corporate spaces available for weddings, hires, special museum events and functions. Please note that this space is not open on a daily basis. The Waterhall building is across from the Gas Hall entrance and is accessible via 9 steps. There is a lift available with a buzzer to call for assistance.

Waterhall lift entrance: door width 43 inches.

Current Access Arrangements (External Paradise Development

Works)

Due to the paradise development work, external factors are currently affecting access to the museum. The walk through between Edmund St and Chamberlain Square (under the bridge link is open and on occasion due to the public realm works there are traffic barriers in place due to contractor vehicle access via this route. This will be in place until

Autumn 2019. The Lift and Gas Hall entrance to the museum are still accessible via the outskirts of the perimeter barrier fence if accessing from Chamberlain Square.

Access between Edmund

Street and Chamberlain

Square is open

Getting around and internal signage

In addition to printed maps available from either the Vestibule reception desk or Gas

Hall reception desk, to facilitate getting around the galleries, we have several internal maps and signage. Large floor maps are available at the Vestibule, Gas Hall and as you exit the lift on level 2 and 3. These highlight your current position within the galleries and show the locations of all the galleries within the main building.

All of our front of house staff wear branded Birmingham Museums Trust uniform and are happy to answer enquiries whilst patrolling the galleries

All our staff receive regular training both in customer service and health and safety.

We have benches throughout our galleries and portable stools and wheelchairs are available free of charge from the Vestibule reception desk.

We have a set of evacuation procedures – should you require it, a member of the Visitor

Services Team will assist you with evacuation either out of the building or to a refuge area.

Attractions

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery covers three floors and includes our separate

Waterhall Gallery. There are over 40 individual gallery spaces and with no set route, visitors are free to explore the galleries as they wish.

Mini Museum – Level 2

A soft play area with games, books and dressing up for our younger visitors

Gas Hall Exhibition Space – Level 1

A large space for temporary exhibitions and activities, fully wheelchair accessible and with male, female and accessible toilets to the rear

Birmingham History Galleries – Level 3

An interactive look at the history of Birmingham exploring the development and people of Birmingham over hundreds of years

Staffordshire Hoard Gallery – Level 2

Events

Guided tours: £3.00 per person or free to Birmingham Museums Trust members.

Regular guided tours are on offer Saturdays and Sundays with tickets available to purchase on the day. Additionally, we offer a wide range of events, activities, talks and tours. Details of all of our public events are listed here: http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag/whats-on

Visitors are able to take a stool with them on the guided tour to sit down when in galleries. These can be requested from the Vestibule reception desk when buying your ticket.

During school summer holidays there is a range of activities offered for children of all ages which are advertised on our events page when available. Apart from a few specialist activities our activities cost between £1.50- £2.00 and are available to purchase from the Gas Hall reception desk.

To register or find out more about becoming a member of Birmingham Museums Trust follow this link: http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/support-us/become-a-member

Public Toilets

There are accessible toilets on all floors of the museum. We also have baby changing and a first aid room that can be requested for use by visitors. We have separate male and female toilets on each floor.

Level 1 (Gas Hall) Gents and ladies toilets in the Gas Hall foyer

 Gents, ladies and accessible toilets (door width 35” or 89cm) at the back of Gas

Hall. The ladies toilets include a baby changing and feeding area. The accessible

toilet includes a baby changing mat.

Level 2 (Picture Galleries, Shop and Tearoom)

 Gents toilet at the top of the main staircase in the Vestibule area (door

width is 35” or 90cm)

 Ladies toilet (including an accessible cubicle) inside the shop (door width

is 35.5” or 90 cm)

 Gents and ladies available in gallery 11 close the Edmund Street lift (door

width 35.5” or 90cm)

 Accessible toilet near Edmund Street lift entrance in gallery 11

 Baby changing and feeding room at the back of gallery 20

Level 3 (Birmingham History Galleries and Ancient Worlds)

 Gents and ladies toilets, including accessible toilet (door width 37” or

97cm) at the top of the staircase and close to the level 3 lift

Catering

Edwardian Tearooms

The beautifully renovated Edwardian Tearooms are a popular refreshment stop for museum visitors, and for city centre shoppers and workers. It is located on level 2 and offers a wide range of delicious food and beverages within a unique and historic setting.

A variety of hot meals and sandwiches are prepared to order and you can view the menu on our website here: http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/system/resources/W1siZiIsIjIwMTcvMDkvMjcv

MzdieTFhMGtid19FVFJfbWVudS5wZGYiXV0/ETR%20menu

There are also a range of daily special dishes available advertised every day by the counter.

Free O2 WIFI is available. No password is required.

Bridge Café

Our Bridge Café is open 11.00am to 3.00pm Sunday to Friday and 10.00am to 4.00pm on Saturday. The Bridge Café serves hot/ cold drinks, delicious cakes and snacks.

Education Space

Our education space is used for schools sessions and occasional events.

A lift is available on that side of the building which can be accessed through the

Staffordshire Hoard exhibition. Door width 43 inches.

Shop

The shop is situated on level 2, close to the Vestibule reception desk. The shop sells an extensive range of gifts and souvenirs including cards and books relating to exhibitions and galleries within the museum.

We presently also have a pop up shop in the Gas Hall as part of Dippy On Tour.

The shop also has an online store where you can buy a selection of items online, which can be found by following this link: https://shop.birminghammuseums.org.uk/

Prints of artworks can also be ordered online through our Print Service Website, which can be found here: http://www.bmagprints.org.uk/

Lockers

Lockers (£1 non-refundable) are available in the Gas Hall foyer, Vestibule reception and on level 3 next to the main lift. The level 3 lockers have 6 ground-level large lockers for storage of larger luggage, pushchairs etc.

Additional Information

The museum is available for hire for corporate evening events. Tel: 0121 348 8081.

Our staff can access a telephone interpreter via Language Line Service

Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery has been awarded the Quality Marque Rose by the Visitor Attractions Quality Assurance Service of Visit England and the

Edwardian Tearooms have received the Visit England Quality Food & Drink

Accolade.

Contact Information

Address: Chamberlain Square, Birmingham B3 3DH

Telephone: 0121 348 8032

Website: http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BM_AG

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BirminghamMuseumandArtGallery

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birmingham_mag/?hl=en

Hours of operation

Monday – Thursday + Saturdays and Sundays 10.00am – 5.00pm

Fridays 10.30am – 5.00pm