History of Science Museum

• There is no car parking at the museum
• There are four public Blue Badge parking spaces on Broad Street - all are less than 100m from the museum

• The entrance is on Broad Street
• There is a paved path from the pavement leading to the external entrance gates
• The entrance gates are held open during museum opening hours 
• There are 2 steps to a level landing - these steps have minimal contrasting markings and no handrails
• After the level landing there is a fairly steep flight of stairs up to the entrance. These stairs have minimal contrasting markings. There are wide stone banister rails each side
• At the top of the stairs there is a level landing
• There is 1 final step up to the entrance lobby. This step has minimal contrasting markings and no handrails
• The outer entrance doors are held open during museum opening hours
• The inner doors are heavy to open. Staff are available to assist with the doors during museum opening hours
• Once inside the museum, the welcome desk is straight ahead

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• The Welcome Desk is just beyond the entrance doors and is in the central gallery
• There is stepped access only to the entrance and central gallery
• The Welcome Desk is just ahead as you come through the entrance doors
• The desk is always staffed during museum opening hours
• The desk has 2 sections - 1m high and 1.2m high. There is no lower, wheelchair accessible section
• There are donation points either side of the desk which are 1m high
• There is no hearing support system at the desk
• The desk is in the middle of the central gallery. Beyond this gallery is the central staircase with access to the basement and upper galleries

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• There are no public toilets in the museum
• There is 1 accessible toilet in the basement available on request. Please ask a member of staff if you wish to use this facility
• The accessible toilet is in the basement near the smaller gallery
• There is a small lobby between the gallery and the toilet with restricted manoeuvring space
• The door has a clear width of 80cm and is an outward opening door
• The door is locked with a small twist lock
• The door does not have a horizontal pull bar on the inside
• The toilet dimensions are 1.8m long by 1.5m wide
• There is a pull cord light switch
• The toilet seat height is 45 cm 
• The cistern can be used as a back rest
• There is a lever flush on the transfer side of the toilet
• Transfer space is to the left of the toilet
• There is a dropdown rail on the transfer side of toilet.
• There are wall mounted grab rails
• There is one vertical grab rail to the right of the sink
• There is poor visual contrast between the walls and the handrails and other fixtures
• There is a pull cord alarm which can be reached from the toilet. The reset button is out of reach from the toilet. 

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• This section is about the internal stairs
• There is one central staircase in the museum
• From the central gallery there are 38 steps to the top of the building, and 38 steps to the bottom
• The staircase is very old and has wide wooden steps that are slightly uneven in places
• There are no visually contrasting markings on the step edges
• There are temporary white markings creating a centre line on the steps
• There are handrails both sides of the stairs, including around the landings
• Lighting levels vary; the stairs have relatively low lighting at basement level, and are well lit at the upper level
• Lighting causes shadow on the stairs in some places

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 Due to the public nature of the building, there aren’t many closed doors in the museum!  The main entrance is a pair of manual double doors with glass panels, and one side is usually held open during museum opening hours.  If you are using the level entrance, a member of staff will help you with the door.  The main library entrance is a set of glass double doors, and the level entrance a single door with no vision panel, which a member of staff will unlock for you.

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The museum has a library which operates on a strictly appointment only basis. There are a couple of steps leading down to the main library entrance, but these can be bypassed using a staff-operated level access door. Once inside, the reading room is fully accessible, but some of the shelves might be difficult to reach for wheelchair users. The library information desk (on your right hand side as you enter) is manned at all times. There are no adjustable desks, but the chairs and tables are moveable. 

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The centre of the basement gallery space is often used for informal public lectures.  There is a long table with moveable chairs, and the area is fully level. 

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There is an education room in the library annexe. This is accessible through the library via a staff-operated level access door.  All furniture is moveable, but there are no adjustable desks.  A portable hearing loop is available from museum reception. 

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Only the basement gallery space is accessible to those visitors who require level access.  The display cases are well spaced, but the floor is uneven in the smaller gallery (B).  Ambient lighting is low, and some of the text is quite small, which might make reading display information difficult for some.  The special exhibition gallery is bright and well laid-out.

A selection of audio guides is available for download here https://hsm.ox.ac.uk/pocket-curator-mobile-app

There is a hearing loop for the entrance gallery available at reception. 

The museum also has a range of ‘virtual exhibitions’ available at https://hsm.ox.ac.uk/past-exhibitions-and-displays.

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The gift shop is located on the ground floor just inside the main entrance. It can only be accessed by stairs.

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There are no hearing support systems in the museum. 

Accessible computers

There are no computers available for use. However, visitors can make use of the public Wi-Fi to access information on their own portable devices.