Accessibility

Guide for visitors with disabilities

The Royal Navy Submarine Museum is committed to providing access for all of our visitors, so if you need more information, please contact us direct so that we can help you have a enjoyable visit.

General

• Wheelchair access to all areas of the Museum except for HMS Alliance. Because of the historic nature of the submarine we regret that we cannot accommodate wheelchairs onboard.
• Guide Dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs are welcome in all of our galleries, however they are not allowed on HMS Alliance at busy times due to the nature of the submarine .
• Hearing loops are installed in our ticket reception, shop, lecture space, cinema and Miers Room.
• All toilets are at ground floor level. There are three disabled toilets on the site.
• Wheelchairs are available at the Weapons Gallery, free of charge.

Car Park

• Free parking.
• Disabled parking bays next to entrance.
• Coach spaces at rear of car park.

HMS Alliance

• There are no hatches or ladders to climb inside HMS Alliance. She has been restored as a walk through submarine to ease access.
• If you have any mobility difficulties please ask at the reception desk in the John Fieldhouse Building for details about the submarine and to meet one of our submariner guides.
• There are several stones steps up to the entrance of the submarine.
• The guided tour is led by an ex-submariner. Visually impaired visitors are welcome to experience the tour by touch.

Holland 1 Gallery

• Ramped access to submarine.
• No wheelchair access inside Holland1, however there is a screen outside showing everything that is going on inside.
• Mind your head as you enter Holland 1 – it is a low entrance!
• Video inside the submarine showing how Holland 1 would have looked .
• Subtitled video about the history and conservation in the entrance gallery.

John Fieldhouse Building (X24, Interactive Gallery, History Galleries & Horrible Science of Submarines)

• Lift
• Induction loop
• Hands-on interactives and sensory experiences in the Submarines and Science Gallery
• Tactile objects in the children's exhibition & dressing up area of the Pioneers to Pirates Gallery (first floor History Gallery). 
• Sound post at the ‘Launch of HMS Dreadnought' painting
• Periscopes – the attack periscope is lower than the search periscope, and may be more suitable for those in a wheelchair.

Millennium Promenade

• Pedestrian and wheelchair access to the seaward end of the site is via Millennium Walkway. Beware of the adjacent cobblestones – they can be a bit bumpy!
• We regret that no cars are allowed on this walkway, as it is a pedestrian route. If you have mobility difficulties please contact a member of staff for loan of a wheelchair free of charge from our Weapons Gallery
• Children's activity area

Harbour Stations Coffee Shop

• 3 small steps at entrance
• Wheelchair access through the café annexe.

Weapons Gallery 

• Gallery has dark areas - please take care.

Jetty/Pontoon

• Mind the gaps between the decking if you're wearing high heels!
• Ramp to pontoon
• If using a Waterbus service wheelchair access will depend on the boats that are running. Please contact us in advance for more information.

Learning Centre/ Busy Boats Bay

• Wheel chair access
• Toilets and disabled toilet

Administration Block (Archives & Library, Miers Room)

• Wheelchair access is available at the rear of the building. Please let the member of staff that you are meeting know your time of arrival in advance so that we can have the ramp in place
• Research area on ground floor
• Toilets including Disabled toilet on ground floor
• Hearing loop in Miers Room
• Stone steps at front of building which are fairly steep
• There is unfortunately no wheelchair access to the Miers Room