Accessibility

Admission

• Visitors with disabilities receive a concessionary rate at both museums
• Accompanying carers enter for free

For more information, see our admission charges.

Entrances

Leighton House

• Main entrance on Holland Park Road
• The entrance is step-free and level access

Sambourne House

• Main entrance on Stafford Terrace
• Access is via 7 steep steps down to the basement level reception
• There no step-free or level access

Parking and drop off points for disabled visitors

Leighton House

• One Blue Badge drop off/ pick up parking bay on Holland Park Road where there is a step free entrance to the museum
• Up to 4 hours of free parking during controlled hours
• No parking facilities directly on the museum grounds

Sambourne House

• No step free access to Sambourne House
• Nearest Blue Badge parking space on Phillimore Walk (behind Stafford Terrace)
• Blue Badge parking bays on Argyll Road (near Kensington High Street and runs perpendicular to Stafford Terrace)

Find out about Blue Badge parking and disabled parking for visitors.

Facilities

View / Download Leighton House Map Floorplan

Leighton House

All areas of Leighton House are accessible by level access, lift or wheelchair.

• Welcome Desk is on the ground floor
• Staff can answer any questions or provide access aids such as magnifying glasses or large print captions
• Wheelchair-accessible toilets on the lower ground floor of the museum
• Some parts of the house may have limited space for wheelchairs 80cm or wider — contact us for support
• Benches, public seating and portable folding stools are available —  we can provide directions to any public seating or provide folding stools
• Accessible toilets and an accessible baby changing area on the lower ground floor

Nearest Changing Places Toilets

• Westfield London, Ariel Way, W12 7GF
• Praed Street, Paddington, W2 1HQ
• The Science Museum, Exhibition Rd, South Kensington, SW7 2DD

We're happy to help if you need assistance during your visit.

Sambourne House

• Welcome Desk is in the basement reception and staff will be on hand to answer any questions or provide access aids such as magnifying glasses or large print captions.
• The basement is reached by 7 narrow and steep steps from the pavement level.
• There is currently no step-free access to the entrance or inside the historic interiors.
• There are two gender neutral toilet cubicles in the lower basement, accessed via an additional 4 steps from the reception.
• There are currently no baby change facilities available in the house.
• Entrance to the historic interiors on the ground floor are reached by 10 steps from the basement level. There are 5 floors in total, all of which are reached via steps with handrail, some of which are in low lighting.
• Portable folding stools are available in the museum. A member of staff or one of our volunteers can provide one of the folding stools for use during a visit.

Assistance animals

• Assistance animals are welcome at both museums
• We consider an assistance animal to be one that enables someone to visit our museums, who would otherwise be unable to do so.
• Only assistance animals are allowed inside
• Animals must be kept on a leash and always under the control of their owners
• Drinking bowls for thirsty animals are available from the Welcome Desk at both museums – just ask a member of staff.

Support for blind and visually impaired visitors

Leighton House

• Large print captions for all interpretation panels are available from the Welcome Desk on the ground floor
• Magnifying panels are also available for use to assist with reading texts and captions — any member of staff
• Some of our rooms and exhibition areas have lower lighting levels to help us preserve important artworks

Sambourne House

• Large print captions for all interpretation panels are available from the Welcome Desk in the basement reception.
• Magnifying panels are also available for use to assist with reading texts and captions.
• Due to the historic nature of the museum, there is low level lighting throughout the historic interiors — speak to us for assistance during your visit

Support for D/deaf and hard of hearing visitors

Subtitles are available for all audio visual content at both houses

Sensory access

• Quieter visting times: weekdays from 10am to 11am at both museums for a more relaxed experience
• We also have a large garden to the rear of Leighton House, which is freely accessible for all visitors and is free to enter
• A smaller nature garden is available in the far left corner of the Leighton House gardens that provides a space for any neurodiverse visitors to improve their immediate well-being when visiting us