Access

Access to World Heritage Site Venues

National Maritime Museum and Queen's House
Royal Observatory
Old Royal Naval College
Greenwich Tourist Information Centre
The Fan Museum
St Alfege Church
Greenwich Theatre
The O2 arena
Transport to and from Greenwich
Useful Links

 

National Maritime Museum & Queen’s House
There is wheelchair access to all levels and galleries and there are aids for blind and partially-sighted visitors. The National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House are located close together with good paths between. All floors of the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House are accessible via lifts. The visitor map marks lifts and is available on-site or online at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Wheelchairs can be borrowed. Booking in advance is recommended: Tel: 020 8312 6608; Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

E-Library
The E-Library is a public research area, located next to the Library. It offers visitors access to multimedia databases containing information about the Museum's collections. The E-Library has ten workstations, which are accessible to wheelchair users. There will be limited access to the library until the opening of the new Library in 2012.

 

 

Coffee shop, Café and gift shops
Paul (on the Upper Deck of the main Museum galleries) provides drinks, sandwiches and snacks. The new Galley Café is on the ground floor of the Museum. Both are accessible to wheelchair users. The main Museum gift shop is situated by the main entrance on the ground floor and is easily accessible.
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Royal Observatory
The Royal Observatory is set on a hill in Greenwich Park. There are two paths to the Observatory from the National Maritime Museum through Greenwich Park. If you take the left fork you’ll head up a very steep hill to the entrance of the Observatory. At the top of the hill on the right are ornate wrought-iron gates which are usually closed. The entrance to the site is a short distance to the left through the central arch. If you take the right fork the path is slightly longer but less steep, taking you along ‘The Avenue’, a road that runs through the park and round the south side of the Observatory site. Follow this path around for 150 metres to the entrance on the north side. 

Having passed through the entrance you enter the Meridian Garden. If you take the path to the right, a ramp provides access to the Meridian visitor reception area which leads into the Astronomers’ Garden, Flamsteed House, the Meridian Courtyard and the Meridian Line. The left-hand path leads to the Astronomy Centre and the Planetarium. Both routes are fully accessible.

 

The newly redeveloped Astronomy Centre that houses the Astronomy Galleries and the Planetarium is fully accessible via a lift. There are spaces for wheelchairs in the Planetarium, but pre-booking is recommended. The older Royal Observatory buildings to the north of the site have more restricted access, including the Octagon Room in Flamsteed House, the Time and Society galleries, and the28-inch telescope in the Meridian and Great Equatorial Buildings.   Access to the Time Galleries in Flamsteed House is via an external lift in the Astronomers' Garden. This is unsuitable for buggy access. To get access to the Time Galleries, use the lift to the upper level for the Longitude gallery housing John Harrison's clocks. You will need to press the bell by the doors for access. The door will be opened by a Gallery Assistant. To gain access to the Time and Greenwich gallery, take the lift to the lower level.

 

The Observatory Café is situated adjacent to the Planetarium in the Astronomy Centre of the Royal Observatory, and features a sun terrace with wide views over Greenwich Park. The café serves hot and cold drinks, and hot and cold snacks. The Astronomy Centre is fully accessible via a lift.  The Royal Parks run a café in Greenwich Park opposite the Royal Observatory, which is accessible to wheelchairs and has an adapted toilet.
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Old Royal Naval College
The Old Royal Naval College buildings were completed between the dates 1664 - 1751, with the exception of the Discover Greenwich Visitor Centre (opening March 2010) building which was completed in 1870. The whole site is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed, making it difficult to alter the fabric to accommodate special access requirements. Every effort has been made, however, to ensure that the site is open to visitors with disabilities.

Access to the site is at street level. There are 11 steps to climb from College Way (which runs east-west through the site) to Upper Grand Square where the entrances to the Painted Hall and Chapel are situated. There is a stair-free route, going around the buildings, and the main body of the Painted Hall can be reached via a lift from College Way. The Visitor Centre is at street level.

 

 

Permanent seating is available throughout the site and benches are located at various points around the grounds. Visitors are also welcome to sit on the pews and chairs in the Chapel and Painted Hall.
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Wheelchair Access
There is a lift from College Way which provides access to the main floor of the Painted Hall (level 1) and to the King William Restaurant (level -1). The lift can be self-operated and there is an alarm to alert staff in the case of difficulty. There is a stair-free route to the Chapel and the vestibule can be accessed by ramp from the colonnade - if the doors are closed there is an assistance bell to alert staff inside. There are 13 stairs from the Chapel vestibule to the Chapel proper and access is through use of a Stairmate machine which carries a person up and down stairs in their own wheelchair. The Stairmate is manually operated and must be used by a qualified operator. The wheelchair and the wheelchair user are strapped in and the whole machine is tilted to a 45° angle. Though not suitable for electric scooters, the Stairmate can be used with electric wheelchairs which are no wider than a manual chair. The maximum person-wheelchair weight which can be carried is 440lbs or 200kg. There are 15 stairs from the Painted Hall vestibule to the main Hall; the Stairmate can be used if preferred to the lift.

 

 

Visual Impairment
There are guide sheets in braille and large print in both the Painted Hall and Chapel, please speak to one of the Yeoman guides if you require assistance. Assistance dogs are welcome into the buildings.

 

 

Guided Tours
Unfortunately, the Jacobean Undercroft is not accessible to visitors with disabilities, the only access is down a steep flight of stairs. Dedicated assistants to visitors who are Deaf or hard of hearing go free on tours as do dedicated wheelchair assistants and sighted guides for visually impaired visitors. Please inform the Old Royal Naval College of your visit on 020 8269 4799 (or 020 8269 4767 at weekends) and they can ensure trained staff are available to help you. They can also send out an Access leaflet which includes a map of the site.

 

Wheelchairs can be borrowed. Booking in advance is recommended: Tel: 020 8312 6608; Email: bookings@nmm
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Greenwich Tourist Information Centre
Greenwich Tourist Information Centre has a flat entrance and a low level counter for wheelchair users. There are also large print copies of Transport for London maps. There are two wheelchairs which can be borrowed for a small returnable deposit.
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The Fan Museum
The Fan Museum has a portable ramp for access to the museum and a disabled toilet and lift inside.
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St Alfege Church
The main entrance to the church has steps but there is a side entrance using a ramp to the south door. St Alfege offers large print but there is no disabled toilet. Unfortunately, there is no access to the gallery because there are 15 steps.
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Greenwich Theatre
Wheelchair access
There is flat access through one set of front doors into the foyer. The bar and café are accessed by platform lift and there is an accessible toilet on the ground floor. There is lift access to the rear of the auditorium where spaces are available for two wheelchair users. Wheelchairs can also be stored for patrons transferring to seats.

Deaf and hard of hearing
There are captioned performances. Please contact the marketing department for dates for details of dates on 020 8858 4447. Sennheiser systems are available from the cloakroom staff. Please let the theatre know your requirements when booking.

 

 

Blind and partially sighted
Guide dogs are welcome in the auditorium. Please let the box office know when booking tickets and you’ll be given an aisle seat so that your dog can be next to you. Alternatively, your dog can stay with the front of house staff and be brought to you during the interval and at the end of the show. You can get a large print copy of this information by calling Greenwich Theatre marketing department on 020 8858 4447 or emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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The O2 arena
The O2 is easily accessible for wheelchair users or those with specific access requirements. The O2 is serviced by the North Greenwich station (Jubilee Line), buses and Thames Clippers services, all of which are accessible. All buildings within The O2 are DDA compliant with wide entrances and there is a flat street running the length of Entertainment Avenue. Toilet blocks, lifts and other public areas are also designed for wheelchair use and The O2 staff will provide assistance on request.
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Transport to and from Greenwich
By DLR/ Tube
Cutty Sark on the Docklands Light Railway [DLR] is the nearest station to the World Heritage Site. Take the Jubilee Line to Canary Wharf and change to the DLR, or board the DLR direct from Bank, Tower Gateway, Stratford, Beckton or Lewisham, exiting at Cutty Sark for Maritime Greenwich. The majority of the Jubilee line is accessible but please check this applies to the station you are boarding from before your journey. Canary Wharf Underground, along with the whole of the DLR, is fully accessible. There is a lift to street level at Cutty Sark station.

By Mainline Rail Services
The nearest train station is Greenwich (Zone 2) which has connections to Charing Cross, Waterloo East, Cannon Street, London Bridge and Dartford; it is approximately 0.5 miles from the World Heritage Site or you can take the DLR one stop from Greenwich Station to Cutty Sark which is just 3 minutes from the site. Greenwich Station has full step-free access; platforms are accessed via ramp and lifts and the Ticket Office and car park are also step-free. Southeastern trains run to the station and they request that you book in advance when requiring a ramp to access the train; please call the Assistance Booking line on 0800 783 4524, who can also give detail on what alternative stations can be used if access/assistance is not available for any reason. Adapted toilets are available when the booking hall is open. Southeastern trains textphone number: 0800 783 4548.

 

 

By River
Greenwich is just four miles downstream from Tower Bridge. Regular riverboat services are now available from Westminster, Embankment and Tower Piers to Greenwich, the timetable is seasonal so please check times careful before you set off. All of these piers are wheelchair accessible and City Cruises (who run a regular service to Greenwich) boats are accessible

 

 

By Bus
Routes 177, 180, 188 and 386 are operated by low floor buses and can take wheelchairs. Wheelchair users are entitled to free travel on London buses and do not need to show any ticket or pass but anyone accompanying them must hold a valid ticket or pay the appropriate fare. All types of Assistance Dogs are welcome on London buses.

 

 

By Taxi
There is a taxi rank for Black Cabs at Greenwich Station but it is wise to book in advance. Advance booking of mini cabs is essential. Greenwich Cars can be booked on 020 8858 6661. All or some of the vehicles used by these operators are understood to be wheelchair accessible. We recommend that you call to check availability and suitability before travelling. Taxis can drop off within the ORNC site if they are booked in beforehand, please call 0208 269 4799 to book in.

 

 

By Car
Greenwich Council's policy is to provide free parking to any person displaying a Blue Badge at the following places:
-Disabled parking spaces ('Blue Badge Displayed')
-Pay & Display street parking (three-hour limit)
-Car parks (three-hour limit)
-Meter parking spaces (three-hour limit).
Note that Blue Badge holders cannot park in residents' parking bays or where loading and unloading restrictions apply.The nearest car parks to the World Heritage Site site are on Park Row, Cutty Sark Gardens, Burney Street and Greenwich Park (Blackheath Gate). There is also limited disabled parking available for restaurant and event customers only on the ORNC site, please call 0208 269 4799 to book this in advance of your visit.
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Useful Links

Old Royal Naval College Access leaflet

Old Royal Naval College Access page

National Maritime Museum Access page (including Queen’s House and Royal Observatory)

National Maritime Museum Provision for deaf, blind and partially-sighted visitors (including Queen’s House and Royal Observatory)

Planning your visit to the National Maritime Museum, Queen’s House and Royal Observatory

Planning your visit to the Old Royal Naval College

Transport for London Access Maps

Greenwich Station Access page

Greenwich Theatre Access page

St Alfege Church DisabledGo assessment

The O2 Venue Access page

Accessible Countryside for Everyone
Provides information on walks, countryside and green spaces in England and Wales accessible to those using wheelchairs, mobility scooters, pushchairs and buggies.

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