Access Statement

There is not a bus stop within 150 metres of the building.

The closest bus stop is the bus stop on Fetter Lane serving buses 15, 26, 76 and Holborn Circus / Fetter Lane serving buses 8, 59 and 133.

A number of sheltered racks are available just on the right as you go through the main entrance.

Additional racks are available outside the Strand Campus which is an 8 minute walk from Maughan Library.

The nearest Railway Station is City Thameslink.

The station is located to the east of the building, approximately 0.5 miles away.

For more information on City Thameslink please click here (opens new tab).

The nearest underground station is Temple.

The station is located to the southwest of the building, approximately 0.3 miles away.

For more information on Temple please click here (opens new tab).

The car park is located to the left of the main entrance.

The building has car parking that is accessible to Blue Badge holders only. There are 3 designated parking bays within the car park, available on a first come first serve basis. No booking required.

The dimensions of the designated parking bays are 240cm x 485cm, but Blue Badge Bays do not have a marked zone around them.

For Blue Badge holders, there are no parking charges that apply on the day.

The nearest designated bay is 25m (27yd 1ft) from the main entrance of the Maughan Library.

The route from the car park to the building is accessible to a wheelchair user with assistance.

Assistance may be required because there is / are slopes/ramps. The car park surface is tarmac.

The entrance is located on Chancery Lane, opposite the Law Society.

The approach to the entrance has a camber towards a dropped kerb.

The entrance/access point is clearly signed. Assistance will be available and can be acquired by using the intercom at the Special Collections entrance on the right after the access point.

There is step-free level access as you enter.

There is a single manual gate that is permanently held open.

The width of the opening is 98cm. The gate has a low visual contrast.

This information is for the entrance located off the main courtyard from the Chancery Lane access point:

• This entrance gives access to the ground floor.
• The entrance area/door is clearly signed with 'The Maughan Library 2002'.
• There are both ramped and stepped access at this entrance.
• There is a canopy or recess which provides weather protection at this entrance. There is a dark mat or floor marking at this entrance.
• The entrance doors do contrast visually with its immediate surroundings.
• There is not a bell/buzzer nor an intercom.
• The main doors open towards you (pull).
• The doors are heavy and double width, 122cm when opened.
• There is a second set of doors. These doors open away from you (push), and is single width at 88cm and heavy.

• The lift is located on the right after the first set of doors at the main entrance.
• Signs indicating the location of the lift are not available from the entrance.
• The lift is approximately 2m (2yd 7in) from the first set of doors at the main entrance.
• The lift is a platform lift, and accesses a small level change. Its weight limit is 300kg.
• There is not a clear level manoeuvring space of 150cm × 150cm in front of the lift.
• Lift doors do contrast visually with lift lobby walls.
• The external controls for the lift are within 90cm - 110cm from the floor.
• The internal controls for the lift are within 90cm - 120cm from the floor.
• The visual contrast between the external lift controls and the control plate is high.
• The clear door width is 90cm (2ft 11in).
• The dimensions of the lift are 110cm x 140cm (3ft 7in x 4ft 7in).
• There are separate entry and exit doors in the lift.
• There is a mirror to aid reversing out of the lift.
• There is not a list of floor services available within the lift.
• The lift does have a visual floor indicator.
• The lift does have an audible announcer and there is no hearing loop system.
• The lift does have Braille markings and tactile markings.
• The lighting levels in the lift are good.
• There are security barriers on leaving the lift on the upper level with a width of 95cm.

• There is step-free access from the entrance of the building to the Original Cell and the Weston Room.
• There are doors in corridors/walkways which have to be opened manually. We can provide a member of staff to assist the opening and closing of doors in corridors.
• The type of flooring in corridors/walkways is carpet, vinyl and stone and laminate.
• There is some flooring in corridors/walkways which includes patterns or colours which could be confusing or look like steps or holes to some people.
• There is some flooring in corridors/walkways which is shiny and could cause issues with glare or look slippery to some people.
• There is high visual contrast between the walls and floor in all areas.
• Lighting levels are good.

Ground floor

• The Original Cell is a preserved, fireproof document storage room from the 1851 Public Record Office, located on the ground floor of Maughan Library. It contains Enemies and Rascals the audio artwork by Terence Gower.
• It features original cast-iron doors and slate shelves cleared of all their contents. The shelves leave narrow passages ways for audiences to explore the space. Some audiences may perceive the space as too narrow or claustrophobic.
• The cast iron doors open outwards (pull).
• The door width is 900mm.
• The door is heavy. We endeavour to have an Artangel Team member outside to assist visitors with the door should they require assistance. Please let the team member checking you in know, should you require assistance.
• On entering the Original Cell, there is a shelving rack directly in front of the doorway which only permits a narrow turning circle of 780mm.
• The aisles between the shelving racks are 720mm.
• At the end of the space is a prayer room that contains benches for audiences to sit and experience the work.
• Step free access is possible on the ground floor of the Original Cell.

Mezzanine Floor

• Access to the mezzanine floor is restricted to those with suitable footwear and above age 12 with the accompaniment of a responsible adult. Due to the open steel grid flooring, heels are not permitted.
• Access to the Mezzanine is via a narrow metal staircase.
• There are 12 steps to access the mezzanine floor, with a run of 240mm and a rise of 200mm.
• The staircase is 580mm wide and has a 90° turn at the top and bottom of the stairs.
• The open steel grid flooring that contains gaps may cause visual confusion to some visitors.

Lighting

• Lighting levels are low in the space.
• There are no flashing lights within this exhibition.

Sound

• Enemies and Rascals is a surround sound audio work with sound coming from 20 speakers throughout the space that could be disorienting to some visitors.
• The work is primarily in English with some French, most of which is translated into English.
• Sound consists of spoken quotes and transcripts and minimal sound effects including; war planes, music … that could be disorienting or distressing to some visitors.

Hearing Support

• A large print transcript will be available in the space.

Lift access

• The lift within the Weston Room is for staff use only.
• The lift is a stair lift, and is approximately 2m (2yd 7in) from the Weston Room accessible entrance.
• The platform lift accesses a small level change.
• The weight limit for the lift is 325kg.
• There is not a clear level manoeuvring space of 150cm × 150cm in front of the lift.
• The visual contrast between the external lift control plate and the wall is high.
• The external controls for the lift are within 90cm - 110cm from the floor.
• The visual contrast between the external lift controls and the control plate is high.
• The lift does not have a visual floor indicator.
• The lift does not have an audible announcer.
• The internal controls for the lift are within 90cm - 120cm from the floor.
• The lift does not have Braille markings.
• The lift does not have tactile markings.
• The lighting levels in the lift are moderate to good.

Entrance

• There are 8 steps to access the Weston Room.
• The steps are not clearly marked.
• The height of the steps is 16cm.
• The depth of the steps are between 30cm and 45cm.
• There are handrails at the steps.
• The handrail is on the left going up.
• Handrails are not at the recommended height (90cm-100cm).
• Handrails do cover the flight of stairs throughout its length.
• Handrails are easy to grip.
• Handrails do extend horizontally beyond the first and last steps.
• The lighting levels at the steps are good.
• The width of the door opening is 81cm.
• There is a small lip on the threshold of the entrance, with a height of 2cm or below.
• The flooring in The Weston Room includes patterns or colours which could be confusing to some people.

Display

• The display is composed of related rare books and historical documents in glass vitrines. Glare from the glass could present difficulty to some audiences.
• A Large Print Guide is available on site for the Weston Room Display.

Toilet with Adaptations

• This accessible toilet is located on the ground floor of the main building, along the corridor on the left from the main entrance.
• This accessible toilet is approximately 40m (43yd 2ft) from the main entrance.
• There is step-free access into the accessible toilet, via lift.
• There is pictorial and written text signage on or near the toilet door.
• The visual contrast between the external door and wall is high.
• The door is heavy.
• The door opens outwards
• The door is locked by a twist lock.
• The width of the accessible toilet opening is 86cm (2ft 10in).
• The contrast between the internal door and wall is high.
• The door has a horizontal grab rail.
• The visual contrast between the horizontal grab rail and internal door is low.
• The dimensions of the accessible toilet are 190cm x 176cm (6ft 3in x 5ft 9in).
• The accessible toilet does not have an unobstructed minimum turning space of 150cm x 150cm.
• The lighting levels are good.
• There is a lateral transfer space.
• As you face the toilet pan the transfer space is on the left.
• The lateral transfer space is 115cm (3ft 9in).
• The transfer space is obstructed by a female sanitary bin.
• There is a dropdown rail on the transfer side. The contrast between the dropdown rail(s) and wall is high.
• There are wall-mounted grab rails available. As you face the toilet the wall-mounted grab rail(s) is/are on both sides.
• There is a horizontal wall-mounted grab rail on the opposite side of the seat to the transfer space.
• There is an emergency alarm. Please note the emergency pull cord alarm was out of reach (higher than 10cm (4") from floor) when surveyed.
• There is not a red flashing fire alarm beacon within the toilet.

Other toilets

• Toilet facilities are available on site for all visitors. Please ask a member of Artangel Front of House Staff for your closest facilities.

An evacuation plan for the site is provided for. Should it become necessary to evacuate either of the exhibition spaces, Artangel staff will provide assisted escape from all areas and alert the emergency services. Mobility impaired visitors should ensure that they visit with an accompanying person to assist them in the event of an evacuation.