Rhodes House

• No parking  on site.
• Public Blue Badge and pay-and-display parking on Parks Road outside Wadham College. This is just over 300m from Rhodes House. 

Click on the link below to view a map of Blue Badge parking in central Oxford:

• Oxford Blue Badge parking map (PDF)

Main entrance

• Entrance on South Parks Road in the centre of the building - access is via steps or ramps.
• 4 steps up to entrance. No handrails. No contrasting markings on step edges. 
• Long ramps either side of steps. Ramps are wide with a gentle gradient. No contrasting markings at the start and end of ramps. 
• Entrance doors are powered with a clear width of 1.2m.
• Push button to activate doors is 90 cm high. It is opposite doors, so will be behind you as you are facing the entrance. 
• Once inside you will be in an entrance lobby. Reception desk on the right. Rotunda (and rest of building) straight ahead. 

Accommodation and out of hours entrance (East Lodge)

• Entrance on South Parks Road on the left side of the building as you are facing it.
• There is level access into the East Lodge
• The door is not currently powered, but is usually held open.
• The door has a clear width of 84cm.
• Once inside you will be in an entrance lobby. Reception desk is ahead. Lift down to accommodation is on the left. 

Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:

There is lift access to virtually all areas of Rhodes House. 

The West Wing platform lift was still under construction at the time of the audit so is not covered here. This will provide access between the ground floor, garden, and first floor. Other lifts currently provide access to these areas but involve longer travel distances. 

Click the tabs for detailed information about each lift. 

• Most of the older stairs have handrails to one side only, and minimal contrasting markings on the step edges
• Some of the older stairs are carpeted
• The stairs to the Hawksley Room are steep
• The newer stairs have handrails both sides and contrasting markings on the step edges. 
• There is a new spiral staircase in the Rotunda. This has contrasting markings on step edges and handrails both sides.
• External stairs to the garden from the ground floor level have no handrails, and no contrasting markings on the step edges. 
• External stairs to the new accommodation area have handrails both sides and contrasting markings on the step edges
• External stairs to the Convening Hall have handrails both sides and contrasting markings on the step edges

Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:

• The main entrance has wide powered doors
• The accommodation and out of hours entrance is held open and has a clear width of 90cm
• Many doors on access routes around the building are held open
• No internal doors are powered
• Secure doors have access card readers in the range 80cm to 120cm high
• There are many double doors in older parts of the building. Most have narrow single leaves with a clear width of under 70cm, but well over 80cm when both leaves are open
• Most single leaf older doors have a clear width of at least 75cm, a few are narrower than this
• Some older doors have glazed panels; most are solid wood
• Newer doors have a clear width of at least 80cm
• Newer doors are either fully glazed or have full height vision panels (where appropriate) 

Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:

There are 3 accessible bedrooms. Click on the tabs below for more information. 

Conference, event and lecture space. 

Access

• The hall and breakout space is on the lower ground floor
• Lift and stepped access to lower ground floor
• Toilets and breakout space are all on the same level
• Toilets are off the Rotunda space - there are male and female toilets as well as an accessible toilet
• The main hall is at a lower level than the breakout space - there is lift and stepped access

Breakout space

• Large circulation space
• Open spaces and smaller meeting booths available 

Main Hall

• 4 Manual doors into hall
• Light doors with a clear width of 85cm
• Level access across the hall - no raised stage
• Flexible space that can be set up in a variety of ways
• Loose furniture that can be arranged as needed
• Room can be subdivided into 3 smaller rooms
• Large video screens around the hall
• Loudspeakers around the hall
• Height adjustable lectern
• Wi-Fi based hearing support system in the hall - please contact Rhodes House directly to ask about this

Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:

Dining, event and presentation space. 

• The hall is on the ground floor
• Step-free access
• 4 manual double doors into hall
• Light doors. Single leaves are narrow with a clear width of between 52cm and 65cm. Opening both leaves gives a clear width of at least 100cm - doors can be held open.
• Flexible space that can be set up in a variety of ways (photos show dining hall layout)
• Step-free access around most of hall
• 2 steps up to the raised stage and top table
• Ramped access out to terrace and gardens
• Loudspeakers around the hall
• No hearing support system in the hall

Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
 

2 small rooms used for receptions, presentations and meeting space

Both rooms are connected. There is step-free access between both rooms. 

Reception Room

• This room is on the ground floor
• Step-free access
• Heavy manual double door. Single leaf has a clear width of 63cm. Opening both leaves gives a clear width of 131cm
• Flexible space that can be set up in a variety of ways
• Loose furniture that can be arranged as needed
• No hearing support system in the room

Beit Room

• This room is on the ground floor
• Step-free access
• Heavy manual double door. Single leaf has a clear width of 73cm. Opening both leaves gives a clear width of 141cm
• Flexible space that can be set up in a variety of ways
• Loose furniture that can be arranged as needed
• No hearing support system in the room

Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:

Small gatherings, presentation and meeting space

• The pavilion is in the garden
• Exit the main building from the West Wing using platform lift or steps to get down to garden level
• There is ramped and stepped access up to the Pavilion entrance
• The ramp has a gentle slope. No handrails or contrasting markings
• The steps are wide and deep. No handrails or contrasting markings
• The entrance has wide powered sliding doors into a small lobby
• The lobby has 2 medium weight manual doors leading into the Pavilion. Doors have a clear width of 100cm
• Flexible space that can be set up in a variety of ways
• Loose furniture that can be arranged as needed
• Large video screen
• Loudspeakers
• Wi-Fi based hearing support system in the Pavilion - please contact Rhodes House directly to ask about this

Secondary entrance/exit

• Wide manual sliding doors 
• Stepped access only. Steps are wide and deep. No handrails or contrasting markings

Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:

• The garden is at street level - this is lower than the ground floor level.
• There is step-free access to the garden from the West Wing, McCall MacBain Hall, and East Lodge. All three routes have ramped access
• Ramps are gently sloping and have no handrails or contrasting markings
• There are also several stepped access points to the garden - steps have no handrails or contrasting step edges
• Level paved surface outside all 3 step-free access points
• Paths around building are loose gravel designed to be accessible to wheelchair users (shallow layer of gravel with a firm surface below)
• Outdoor seating areas outside East Lodge and McCall MacBain Hall - level paved surface
• Outdoor seating area outside East Garden Room - loose gravel surface
• There is stepped access only to the small Warden's Garden and the historic Civil War ramparts
• There is a large lawn in the west area of the gardens
• The Garden Pavilion can only be accessed from the gardens - there is step free access on a level paved surface from the West Wing 

Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:

• Wi-Fi based hearing support system in the Convening Hall (main event space) and Garden Pavilion (smaller event space).
• Contact Rhodes House directly to ask about this system.
• No other hearing support systems in place at Rhodes House at present.