Christ Church Picture Gallery

There are four Blue Badge parking spaces available in Oriel Square, a short distance from the gallery. While there is level access from the parking spaces to the entrance to Christ Church, please note that the road is uneven in places as it is a mix of tarmac, brick and cobbles.

Please click on the link below to view a map of Blue Badge parking in central Oxford.

• Oxford Blue Badge parking map (PDF)

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The gallery is located within the walls of Christ Church College and can be reached two different ways.

The most straightforward is to enter the college through Canterbury Gate at the corner of Merton Street and Oriel Square (this entrance is also adjacent to 4 accessible parking bays). You’ll see the gallery entrance ahead of you to the left – please note that the surface is uneven in places and gently sloping upwards. 

You can also enter Christ Church College from St Aldates through Tom Gate. You’ll need to come through Tom Quad and around the library to get to the gallery. There is step free access along this route, but again, please note that the surface is uneven in places. 

At the entrance to the gallery, there is a small raised section of paving. Through the doorway there is a narrow flight of stairs taking you down to a corridor leading to double doors and then through to the gallery.

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The information desk is through the double glass doors on the right hand side and is where you can purchase tickets for the gallery. There is also a small shop here. Some items on shelves may be too high for some visitors to reach – staff will be happy to assist if needed.

Please ask here if you would like exhibition information in large print.

There is no induction loop in place at this time.

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The lower gallery is spacious and well-lit with a lot of natural light. Some items are in display cases.

There is seating available for visitors in the corridor running alongside the lower gallery. This is benched seating without back or arm rests; the bench is set against a wall which can be used as a back rest.

The upper gallery is also spacious and well-lit. There is a smaller room off the gallery with a collection of drawings – for conservation reasons light levels are low and the drawings are kept under glass. There are no doors into this room although there is a fairly narrow corner to negotiate at either end of the room.

Descriptions of the exhibits are in fairly small text that some people may not be able to read. There are large print versions available on request. Please ask at the information desk.

There are portable stools available for visitors; these do not have back or arm rests.

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Accessible toilets

There is not a designated accessible toilet. However, the standard toilet is spacious and has one grab rail next to the toilet. 

Standard toilets

There is one toilet in the gallery. As you come down the steps at the entrance, the toilet is on the left hand side. This is a gender neutral toilet.

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The first flight of stairs at the entrance has continuous hand rails both sides. There are contrasting strips painted on the central part of the star edgings.

There are stairs connecting the lower and upper parts of the gallery. They are wide with a hand rail to the right (ascending). These stairs have contrasting strips painted on the edgings.

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The main entrance door from the quad into the gallery is held open.

From the entrance corridor, there are large glass double doors leading into the gallery. The doors have central metal push plates, which contrast well with the surrounding glass. These doors are heavy; some people may struggle to open them without assistance – gallery staff will be happy to help if needed.

There are no other doors to negotiate in the gallery.

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