Putney Exchange Shopping Centre

Right Everybody like shopping so Putney Exchange Shopping Centre is just up your street, it has it's own car park with disabled bays, the carpark is up a ramp on two levels the disabled bay is on the middle level, level with the shops. You need a ticket to open the barriar.

But if you don't like carparks you can park on the side roads if you have a vaild Blue Badge, that means you can park on single or double yellow lines for 3 hours max.

If you park in the carpark you enter the store by a set of double doors, not automatic they are fire doors so they are not light.

If you enter from the side road ie Lacy Road you enter the store by a set of double doors that are automatic, you enter by a corridor that is painted yellow.

Inside Putney Exchange you have a chocie of shops that include: Waitrose, Next, Monsoon, GAP, GAP Kids, HMV,Hairways,Otakar's now Waterstones, Costa Coffee (inside Waterstones 1st floor)

And many more...

Putney Exchange is fully accessible to moblity impaired, wheelchair users etc becaause there are lifts to each floor and to the carpark.

There is a accessable toilet on the 1st floor by BB's Coffee Shop, the toilet is locked and you need a Radar key to unlock door.

Other Cafe's are BB's Coffee Shop, Costa Coffee, Neuhaus Salon Chocolate Cafe Whittards cafe has closed down.

Please Visit The Website at:

http://www.theexchangesw15.com/welcome.html

for futher information

Accessable Score:

Handel House Muesum

This is the logo to the Handel House

Mueseum, below is a photo of the staircase in the mueseum that shows you the doorway with a old piano, all the rooms in the house are bare boards some of them are a little wonky

They do have a lift to the floors of the house so it is accessable, but please remember that it's an old house and they have not widened the doorways.

There is a new exhibition that the composer's personal story to life. It examines how he survived the eighteenth-century 'credit crunch', his appetite, his blindness and his love-life. A fascinating insight into Handel the man.

in this exhibition you can see some books that he wrote and scores of music as well as liserning to two pieces of music that he wrote.

The Handel Reveal'd exhibition is well lit, and very well laid out with the text in quite large font (black text on a white background).

The Handel House Muesum is celebrating the 250th Anniversary of Handel's life

The Mueseum has a small shop that sells pens, pads of paper, and Handel's music.

They have a accessible toilet by the entrance desk.

The Rehearsal and Performance Room, 25 Brook Street
This room is used regularly for weekly Thursday evening recitals. Musicians also rehearse in this room during museum opening hours.
© Country Life Picture Library / Jane Buck.

There is disabled parking in Brook Street, but there is a steep ramp down to the enrance, also the ramp is cobbed, the mueseum is highlighted by two red banners that say "Handel House Muesum".

Handel by Philip Mercier, oil on canvas, c. 1730. Courtesy of the Earl of Malmesbury

Accessablity Score:

Please visit the website for further information at:

http://www.handelhouse.org/

The Courtauld Gallery at Sommerset House

The Courtauld Institute of Art is fully accessable with a lift to all floors, they have a disabled parking space that you can book for when you visit, so your aready inside the courtyard of the Courtauld gallery, the entrance is reached by a metal portable ramp that is very good but they have not got a small step about an ich high before the ramp but apart from that small step i8t is very good indeed.

photo of entrance and ramp

When you get inside your faced with a flight of steps up to the gallery floor, but they have put in a platform lift so that everyone can get up it's very smooth

The gallery is very good and they have lots of seats around for you to rest on if you need too, the paintings are very good as well and they are NOT copies they are the real ones.

These are just some of the wonderful art work on show here.

The signage is very clear and easy to read, the Courtauld Gallery has it's own cafe that does the normal range of drinks from lattie, tea etc but it is not cheap.

The toilets are very good but they are hard to find, they have a acceat both the Courtauld Gallery and Sommerset House the one at the Courtauld Gallery is the one in the photo

As you can see the door is operated by a push button that opens the door, the toilet is clean but rather small and quite dim.

The other accessable toilet is much brighter but you need to Pull the door it does not say how to open door.

Right when you have finished in the Courtauld Gallery you need to cross to the shop that is not accessable.

Then to get to the accessable entrance of Sommerset House you need to cross the cobbed courtyard by the fountains that children love to play in they are fun to watch and they do a small show of rising and falling.

The entrance is on the right by the back of the cafe with a set of twin doors that are automatic by push pad too.

Inside Sommerset House is a Photographic exhibtion that some people like, also there is a exhibtion on schools that has a load of old school desks turned into infomation points with a coloured light you could work by turning a wheel.

Then the had a wonderful newly built platform lifts two that took you down to the level of the inbankment.

Accessablity Score:

Please visit the website for further information

http://www.courtauld.ac.uk/gallery/exhibitions/2009/weddingchests/index.shtml

http://www.somersethouse.org.uk/visual_arts/default.asp

Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond

The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond is a very nice Theatre because it is small so it is easy to get around, it is accessable to people with moblity problems via the car park that you can reserve a parking space.

The car park is behind a set of black iron gates that are automatic but you need to buzz to get in for them to open the gates but when you go out of the car park the gates open when you move near them, Please Note they open towards you!

The car park bays are under cover

inside the Orange Tree Theatre there is a lift to the seating area so it is easy to get to your seat, also there is a area of seats that you can to get to via the lift.

The seats are mostly fixed to the floor but they do have chairs that you can use they are at the back of the Orange Tree Theatre seating area.

Also the accessable toilet is accessed via the lift, the toilet is very nice and clean and bright, it has two emegancy alarms the normal red cord and a door bell, The doorway to the toilet is the normal width but there is a tight corner that has a wall that is a bit in the way but it can't be helped of moved.

Here is a photo of the sign pointing towards the Orange Tree Theatre, as you can see it ias very clear and it tells you that they are very good when it comes to welcoming disabled people to the Orange Tree Theatre, the allow guide dogs and have a hearing loop in the Box Office.

Orange Tree Theatre has a bar that opens during the interval of the play and they seve tea/coffee/coke/bottled water/wine/beer etc.

I had a tea made for me because I was checking the access out, the staff are very friendly they have a platform lift up the small number of steps up to the Box Office of the Orange Tree Theatre.

I can't tell you about the acting in any of the plays yet because I have not seen one yet.

This is the Orange Tree Theatre building as you can see the flat access is via the back and the not accessable access is via the front.

The Orange Tree Theatre, started in the Orange Tree Pub where they started the Orange Tree Theatre idea.

The Orange Tree Theatre is very nice and worth going to see a play.

Rembet to turn your Mobile Phone off! before going to your seat if you don't they won't let you in.

Accessablity Score:

Please visit The Orajnge Tree Theatre Website at:

http://www.orangetreetheatre.co.uk/

Osterley Park and House

Osterley House is a very granjd house as you can see by this photo, the bad news is that the house is not accessable to wheelchair users or people with moblity problems who find stair hard work.

To reach the front door their are a flight of 20 steps with out a hand rail. At the present the front enterance is closed for works so all visitors to use the side door, and guess what their is another staircase this time of 23 steps and with a handrail, there is NO lift.

There is a hand held audio tour that is touch screen that requires headphones (it works without too.

Photo coming of audio tour.

No subtiltles at all

Here are some photos of inside the house:

These are the rooms in the house not in order but it is unfair if I don't put them is.

Please note that there is a moblity buggy that runs from the disabled parking to the house (it depends on the weather)

The grounds around the house are gravel and that there are cobbles as well so it is not idea, they do have moblity scooters for loan (two seater one as well) but they are not out until the summer that is a bit unfair the one at Ham house is there to hire whatever the weather.

Just to say the paths get better past the toilets that includes a accessable toilet, that is ok could be a bit warmer.

Right the Stables Cafe is where you can get a bite to eat and drink it's the normal range of drinks and snacks

the stable block where the cafe is.

And not to forget the gift shop for gifts from pens - shortbread.

Accessablity Score:

please visit the website for more information:

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-osterleypark/w-osterleypark-facilities.htm