Wytham Chalet

There is a public car park for general access to Wytham Wood. The parking spaces are not marked and there are no designated Blue Badge spaces. The parking surface is loose gravel. 

Parking is also availed at the Chalet itself - this is separate to the public car park. 

Just past the public car park there is a locked gate giving access to the road to the Chalet. The gate is locked with a padlock that has a numbered code, and has to be manually opened and closed. The road from the gate to the Chalet is approximately 1 km. 

The parking spaces are directly in front of the Chalet. The parking spaces are not marked and there are no designated Blue Badge spaces. The parking surface is a mix of loose gravel and uneven concrete. There is step free access from the car parking area to the front entrance, and the rear entrance; at busy times parked cars can obstruct access. 

You must contact the department in advance if you require parking at the Chalet. Visitors with a valid reason to park will be given the padlock combination code. Please use the contact information on this page to phone or email. 

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There is ramped access to the main entrance. The ramp has handrails both sides. The entrance door is manual, secure, and has a relatively narrow clear width of 70 cm. There is an access card reader at 96 cm high, and an intercom at 123 cm high. It is possible to access the kitchen, lab space, and an accessible toilet from the main entrance.

The rear half of the building is at a lower level with internal steps. There is no internal step free access linking the front and rear of the building.

There is an external ramped path around the side of the building leading to the rear entrance. The path is gently sloping, although has a steep section as it turns from the side around the back of the building. The path is 1.2 m wide and does not have handrails. There is low level inset lighting. The rear entrance is manual and secure. This is a double door with each leaf having a relatively narrow clear width of 71 cm. There is an access card reader at 87 cm high, and an intercom at 100 cm high. It is possible to access the lockers, lab space and an accessible toilet from here. 

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There is a standard toilet and shower on the ground floor, and another on the first floor. Both of these are gender neutral. 

There are two accessible toilets on the ground floor - one at the upper level and one at the lower level. See below for full details. 

Upper ground floor

• The accessible toilet is located next to the entrance door.
• The door has a clear width of 85 cm.
• The dimensions are 122 cm wide and 218 cm long. 
• The door is locked with a large lever lock.
• The lights switch on automatically.
• There is a horizontal grab rail on the door.
• The toilet seat height is 48 cm.
• The toilet cistern can be used as a back rest.
• The flush is a lever and is on the transfer side of the toilet.
• As you face the toilet the transfer space is to the right
• There is a dropdown rail on the transfer side. There are wall mounted grab rails.
• There are vertical grab rails either side of the sink.
• There is good contrast between the walls and the handrails and other fixtures.
• There are clothes hooks at 110 cm and 146 cm high.
• There is a full height mirror.
• There is a pull cord alarm and reset button - both are within reach from the toilet.
• There is a foot pedal operated sanitary bin.

Lower ground floor

• The accessible toilet is located in the entrance lobby.
• The door has a clear width of 85 cm.
• The dimensions are 147 cm  wide and 216  cm long. 
• The door is locked with a large lever lock.
• The lights switch on automatically.
• There is a horizontal grab rail on the door.
• The toilet seat height is 48 cm.
• The toilet cistern can be used as a back rest.
• The flush is a lever and is on the transfer side of the toilet.
• As you face the toilet the transfer space is to the right
• There is a dropdown rail on the transfer side. There are wall mounted grab rails.
• There are vertical grab rails either side of the sink.
• There is good contrast between the walls and the handrails and other fixtures.
• There are clothes hooks at 108 cm and 143 cm high.
• There is a full height mirror.
• There is a pull cord alarm and reset button - both are within reach from the toilet.
• There is an open bin.

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There is no lift in the building. The seminar room and bunkrooms are on the first floor and can only be accessed by stairs. There is a residential apartment on the top floor which also can only be accessed by stairs.

The main stairs from ground floor to the first floor have contrasting step edges. The stairs curve around centrally to make a 90 degree turn; this means that the steps are an uneven size where they curve around.  There are wide bannisters to the left (ascending) and hand rails to the right (ascending). 

There is a short staircase between the upper ground floor and lower ground floor. There are contrasting step edges, a wide bannister to the left (ascending) and a hand rail to the right (ascending). There is ramped access outside the building between the upper and lower ground floor levels. 

There are also stairs from the first floor to the self contained apartment on the second floor although this is not covered in this guide. 

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There are no powered doors in the building. The rear entrance doors have vision panels in the top half of the doors. No other doors have vision panels. 

The main entrance door has a clear width of 70 cm and has a strong closer. The rear entrance has double doors with each leaf having a clear width of 70 cm and medium closers. 

Both accessible toilets have doors with a clear width of 85 cm and have light closers. 

Doors into the kitchen and  lab space on the upper ground floor have a clear width of 77 cm and have medium closers. 

The door into the lab space on the lower ground floor has a clear width of 79 cm and has a medium/strong closer. 

There are two research rooms at a mezzanine ground floor level only accessible by steps. Both of these doors have a clear width of 62 cm. 

The first floor has a seminar room and bunk rooms which can only be accessed by stairs. All doors on the first floor have a clear width of 70 cm.  The door to the seminar room and the bunkrooms has a step up. 

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The seminar room is on the first floor and is accessed by stairs. There is a step up to the doorway. The door has a clear width of 70 cm. Desks and chairs are not fixed and can arranged as needed. There is no hearing support system in the seminar room. 

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There is one lab room on the upper ground floor. This room was not in use at the time of the survey and is not covered in this guide. 

The other lab room is on the lower ground floor. The door has a clear width of 79 cm and has a medium/strong closer. There are lab benches at 90 cm high, and stools. There is a small fridge room off this lab - the door into this room is 64 cm wide and has a step down. 

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There are two small research rooms on the mezzanine level between the upper and lower ground floor. There is stepped access only to these rooms. The doors have a clear width of 62 cm. Space is fairly restricted. There is a desk, a lab bench and a minimal amount of circulation space. 

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The kitchen and breakout room is on the upper ground floor close to the main entrance. There is level access into this room. The door has a clear width of 77 cm and has a medium closer. 

There is a table and chairs in the centre of the room with a reasonable amount of circulation space around it. The table and chairs are not fixed and can be moved as needed. The tabletop height is 74 cm with a knee recess underneath that is 67 cm high. The chairs have backrests but do not have armrests. 

The worktop and sink are 91 cm high. There is a section of worktop that is height adjustable and has a knee recess space underneath. There is a lower section of worktop at 74 cm high with a knee recess underneath that is 74 cm high.

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There are two bunkrooms on the first floor which can only be accessed by steps. Each room has a door with a clear width of 70 cm. Each room contains two sets of bunk beds and can sleep four people. 

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There are no hearing support systems in the building. If you require the use of a hearing support system (e.g. in the seminar room) please contact the department in the first instance to discuss this. See contact information for details of email and phone.