Facilities and access at Tring
We aim to provide a friendly, accessible environment for everyone and the widest access possible to our buildings, exhibitions and collections.
For more information about access, please call us on +44 (0)20 7942 6171, Monday to Friday, 09.00-17.00, or email [email protected].
Last updated 31 October 2024
Getting around the Museum
Museum map
Plan your trip with our Museum map. Our Museum guide, which includes a map, is available to buy from our shop.
Entrances
Our main entrance is on Akeman Street and has eight steps. Our schools entrance is on Park Street and is step free. Find out about parking, distances, surface texture and more access information on our How to get to the Museum page. We provide wheelchair and buggy access via our Park Street entrance.
Safety and security around the Museum
Our historic building has lots of stairs and railings so take care, especially if you're visiting with children.
If you require assistance, please ask one of our friendly visitor assistants or a member of the security team who you will find on duty around the Museum.
Mobility aids
We have wheelchairs you can borrow for free.
You'll find benches and seating:
- by our shop and internal toilets
- in our Rothschild Room
- by the lift in galleries 5 and 6
- in Gallery 5
- in the quad and outside our café
- in Walter's Workshop
- in our cafe
We also have light-weight, folding stools you can take around the Museum. You can collect these from galleries 1, 4 and 6.
Step-free access and lifts
There are no steps between our outdoor quad, Foyer, Gallery 1 and our accessible toilet. There is one step between our Foyer and our shop and one step between our Foyer and our internal toilets. We can provide you with a ramp for these.
Our lift can be used to get between our lower ground floor where our Cafe is, our ground floor that leads to the Akeman Street Car Park, our first-floor galleries and our second-floor galleries.
The lift's load bearing capacity is 750kg. The doors are 110cm wide and open at the front or back depending on the gallery. The doors open and close quite quickly. There are tactile lit buttons at a height of 90-110cm. There is no mirror in the lift.
Use the stairs when possible, to keep lifts free for those who need them.
Gallery access
Most of our galleries have wooden floors. Gallery 1 has a metal grill on the floor in the outer two aisles. These grills have a hexagonal pattern and are about 30mm in diameter – take care with walking sticks and canes. Gallery 2 has a vinyl floor, Gallery 3 has a concrete floor and there is a small patch of carpet tiles in front of our Rothschild Room.
Gallery 1 has narrow aisles that are 150cm wide. Gallery 3 is a mezzanine with metal barriers and a wooden handrail on the right-hand side. The aisle in Gallery 3 is 83cm wide and there's a one-way system.
There are 23 steps from Gallery 1 to Gallery 3.
There are 14 steps from Gallery 3 to galleries 5 and 6, or take the lift for step-free access.
There is a small ramp from Gallery 3 to the Rothschild Room.
Support dogs
We welcome support dogs. The water fountain opposite our accessible toilet on the ground floor can be used to refill dog water bottles. Dogs can go to the toilet in our outdoor quad or in our woodland, which is across a small road. We ask that dogs are kept on leads on site.
Dogs can be let off the lead in Tring Park, which is a 10-minute walk away. To get to the park, go down the bumpy, narrow path next to our Hastoe Lane Car Park and over the bridge.
D/deaf and hard of hearing
There are two screens with short films and subtitles. In the Rothschild Room, there are short films about our bird collection, and in Gallery 6 there are short films about taxidermy.
Blind and partially sighted visitors
Guide dogs
We welcome support dogs. The water fountain opposite our accessible toilet on the ground floor can be used to refill dog water bottles. Dogs can go to the toilet in our outdoor quad or in our woodland, which is across a small road. We ask that dogs are kept on leads on site.
Dogs can be let off the lead in Tring Park, which is a 10-minute walk away. To get to the park, go down the bumpy, narrow path next to our Hastoe Lane Car Park and over the bridge.
Find out more about Tring Park.
Low light levels
Gallery 6 and often Gallery 2 have low light levels to help preserve specimens.
Safety around the Museum
Our historic building has lots of stairs and railings. Please take extra care, especially if visiting with children.
Resources
Pick up a free Tactile Sensory Bag from our information desk. The bag includes a variety of resources to support visually impaired children, including pebbles with outlines of animals, replica animal skins and toys. There is a different bag for each gallery.
Some of our specimens can be handled, including a fox and squirrel monkey in Gallery 1, four feely boxes in Gallery 5 and a snake in Gallery 6.
We've recently started doing audio-described events for families where you can handle specimens. Each event is focused on a different natural history theme and run for a few families at a time. See available dates on our What's On page.
Neurodiversity
We have a variety of resources and activities to support children and families with neurodiverse conditions.
Resources to support your visit
Pick up a free Explorer Bag from our information desk. The bag includes resources and toys to support engagement with our displays, including challenges, magnifying glasses and fidget toys.
You can get free ear defenders from our information desk.
Some of our staff are trained in basic Makaton. We have four Makaton-based gallery trails:
There's also touch specimens and interactives in our galleries.
Quiet times
The Museum can be busy and noisy, especially on wet weather days. Our main entrance and Gallery 1 can be quite noisy due to the echoing in the spaces.
We're quietest weekday afternoons during term time. We're busiest weekends and school holidays between October and March when our galleries can be noisy.
Our woodland and meadow provide a quiet space.
Preparing for your visit
The visual guide at the bottom of this page includes descriptions so you know what to expect when you visit.
Neurodiverse events
Our SENDsational Mornings provide a quieter visiting experience for families with neurodiverse children. At these early morning openings, we deliver themed activities, usually a free gallery trail, craft activity and handling activity.
We run these a few times a year on Sundays, 10.00-12.00. Booking is required and tickets are released a few weeks before the event. Find out about upcoming dates here.
Resources for young children
If you’re visiting with young children, we offer resources to make the most of your visit.