Accessibility

We want our building, talks, tours and exhibitions to be accessible to as many people as possible. On this page, you will find information that may be useful when planning your visit.

We are always striving to improve accessibility, however, Clifton House is a Grade A Listed Building which means we are restricted in the alterations we can make to the building. We also have shared access to accessible entrances and lifts with our neighbours Radius Housing. For this reason, we ask that you get in touch and give us at least two days’ notice if you require assistance in accessing our building. We look forward to welcoming you.

We appreciate that not all disabilities are visible, so if you require further information or assistance on your visit to Clifton House, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Use our Contact Us form, email info@cliftonbelfast.org.uk or telephone 028 9099 7022.

The main car park is located to the right of the building. The car park and driveway are tarmacked, leading to our main entrance.

The main entrance is at the top of the driveway up a set of 13 stone steps. Each step is approximately 16cm high. There are handrails on both sides and in the middle.

Step-free access to the building can be found at the rear of the building, with one entrance for accessing the ground floor, and another entrance leading to a passenger lift and a chair lift for accessing the first floor.

We have an accessible bathroom on the ground floor, accessed via two manual doors. These doors are 75cm in width.

Another bathroom can be found on the first floor which has a wall-mounted grab rail and a pull cord alarm. The door to this bathroom is 83cm wide and there is no push button. Please note, there is limited floor space outside the door so this bathroom is unfortunately unsuitable for wheelchair users. There are no changing facilities in our bathrooms.

Assistance dogs are welcome.

We do not have a hearing loop system at this time.

There is not usually any music playing in Clifton House, nor do we usually have any flashing lights within the building. In December, festive lights can be turned off on request.

For our ticketed events, access helpers or carers accompanying someone with a disability are offered free entry. See our Events page for more information.

Ahead of our talks, we will endeavour to let visitors know what room the talk is taking place in, the approximate timings and what audio/visual elements are involved. See individual event pages for more details.

Guided tours involve visiting multiple rooms within the building. Please contact us ahead of time if you will require a seat during your tour or if you have any questions about the use of a mobility aid during the tour, we will be happy to accommodate you.

There are no food or drink services within the building. If you are attending a talk or tour, we would appreciate you not consuming food or drink within the building. If you need to bring food or drink with you for medical reasons, please inform a member of staff on arrival.

We can offer large print information for private tours – please get in touch for more information.

We can arrange BSL interpreters for private tours – please get in touch for more information.

Tours of Clifton Street Cemetery involve a 7–10 minute walk up a slight incline from Clifton House to Henry Place with two road crossing across the Westlink. The Cemetery has tarmacked paths throughout, but it is uneven in places due to tree roots growing underneath the tarmac. The tour has been developed based on graves visible from these paths. Please be advised there are limited summer benches to sit on. Paths may be slippery depending on the time of year/recent weather. Since the tour is outside, it is advisable to wear suitable footwear and clothing.

Step-free access to our ground floor is via the rear of the building using a drop-off area approximately 10 metres from the entrance doors. Regrettably, there are no accessible visitor car parking bays at this time.

To access this entrance, come up the driveway and turn right when you reach the building, then turn left to follow the side of the building until you reach the rear. The access door is the second door on the left at the end of the car park, closest to Clifton Street. A member of staff will meet you on arrival.

From there you will travel along a carpeted floor with some slight inclines, passing through wide double doors until you reach the McCracken Suite.

Accessing the entrance hall and bathroom from the McCracken Suite involves going through a double door which is 92cm wide.

The ground floor has flagstone tiles in the entrance hall, and the McCracken Suite is carpeted.

There is an accessible bathroom 20 metres from the McCracken Suite. It is accessed via two manual doors, each measuring 75cm wide. The bathroom has a wall mounted grab rail and a pull cord alarm.

Our Boardroom can be accessed via our main staircase which has 25 12cm tall steps and a handrail on the right-hand side.

Step-free access to our first floor Boardroom is via the rear of the building, at a drop-off area approximately 10 metres from the entrance doors.

To access this entrance, come up the driveway and turn right when you reach the building, then turn left to follow the side of the building until you reach the rear. The access door is the first door on the left. A member of staff will meet you on arrival.

From there, you will travel through wide double doors along a laminate-floored corridor until you reach a standard passenger lift. The lift’s dimensions are 122cm x 142cm (4 feet x 4’7 feet) with an 80cm wide door. The lift is equipped with Braille markings and an emergency panel. The lift may not be suitable for electric wheelchairs. 

Upon exiting the lift, you will travel along a laminate floor leading to a carpeted corridor. There is a manual door measuring 82cm wide. Beyond this door, a chair lift for a standard wheelchair provides access up a set of four steps, each measuring 18cm tall.

The chair lift has a weight limit of 225kg and measures 100cm x 79cm. Our staff member is trained in operating the chair lift.

The Boardroom door measures 91cm wide.

The first floor is carpeted, and the Boardroom has hardwood flooring. There is a 3cm lip to enter the boardroom from the corridor.

A bathroom can be found on the first floor which has a wall-mounted grab rail and a pull cord alarm. The door to this bathroom is 83cm wide and there is no push button. Please note, there is limited floor space outside the door so this bathroom is unfortunately unsuitable for wheelchair users.

We have an emergency evacuation sledge that our staff are trained to use in the event of an emergency.