Access statement
Knowsley Hall welcomes people with disabilities and has developed this Access Statement to address some of the more common issues that disabled people face.
This access statement is intended to provide additional information for all guests who wish to attend the Hall or use its facilities. Recognition has been given to include guests with an impairment, which could include: Mobility, Sight, Hearing, Learning Disabilities or any other hidden impairment.
Knowsley Hall aims to ensure that all employees, guests and others who use, or assist in, the provisions of our services – whether they have mobility difficulty, a visual or hearing impairment, have a speech impairment or difficulty, have a learning difficulty or mental health disability, use a wheelchair, cane, walking frame or crutches, or have any other disability – are treated equally and according to their needs.
We request that anyone wishing to make an enquiry or booking inform us of any special needs or disabilities that they may have in order for us to meet any personal requirements. Our team is fully committed to help and assist with empathy.
Getting to Knowsley Hall
Knowsley Hall is located within its own idyllic, rural parklands 8 miles east of Liverpool and 25 miles west of Manchester. The Hall can be easily accessed from the M57 motorway, exiting at junction 2 and following the signs to Knowsley Hall for the final mile from the motorway. The Hall is within easy reach of the M58, M6 and M62. For sat nav purposes please use postcode L34 4AJ.
Entering The Grounds
You will arrive at Huyton Lodge Gates on George Hale Avenue (postcode L34 4AJ). To enter the 2,500 acres surrounding Knowsley Hall, please announce your arrival via the intercom, located on the pod 15 metres in front of the gates on the right hand side by pressing “827” for Events and press the * button on the code pad and the gates will be opened automatically.
Once inside the gates, continue along the main route for about ¾ mile and take the right turn at the turning circle, carrying on up the main drive to Knowsley Hall.
Knowsley Hall has adequate parking facilities immediately outside the main entrance doors to the Hall for around 100 vehicles, with the closet parking spaces being only 15 metres from the front door. Please advise if a car parking space needs to be reserved at the front of the building.
Entering The Hall
Guests will be greeted by a member of staff upon their arrival in the car park area located at the front of the Hall. The surface of the front courtyard is loose pea gravel, alternative access via a macadam pathway can be provided at the rear of the building if necessary.
Were possible, guests should access the building via the main entrance door which is at the top of a flight of 16 stone steps. Please note no handrails are in place on these steps.
Level access to the Ground floor (main entrance level) is only available via the rear terrace. With prior arrangement any guests that cannot access the Main Entrance via the steps can be driven to the rear terrace doors where a member of staff will be available to assist.
Navigation Around The Hall
Most of the event spaces at Knowsley Hall are conveniently located on the same level from the Main Entrance Hall, eliminating the need for navigating steps or stairs. However, there are a couple of exceptions: the State Dining Room, accessed via a flight of 9 steps, and the Breakfast/Morning rooms, each requiring two steps for access.
Wheelchair access to the State Dining Room is facilitated by a platform lift from the basement floor, with a width of 63cm at the smallest opening. While our lift accommodates wheelchairs, guests may need to transfer from their wheelchair to our provided one should their personal wheelchair not fit, with staff assistance through the back of the house. We highly recommend if you have any guests with access concerns, to contact the team to arrange a visit of Knowsley Hall so they can see the route they would take ahead of the event.
Portable ramps are available for the Breakfast Room and Morning Room, enabling wheelchair users to access these areas if necessary. Additionally, there’s an accessible toilet on the ground floor near the library, equipped with handrails for support, and additional facilities are available by Reception.
Although pets aren’t permitted in the Hall, we warmly welcome assistance dogs.
Residential Guest Accommodation
Knowsley Hall currently has one bedroom, ‘The Blue Room’, which is best suited for guests with disabilities, can be accessed via a lift with the assistance of a member of the Events team.
The Blue Room is equipped with means of raising the alarm in the event of an emergency with additional sensory alarms including a vibrating pillow and flashing visual beacon.
Bathroom provisions include a wet room style walk in shower with grabs rails and a drop-down shower seat.
This accommodation must be assessed for suitability on an individual basis, this will be undertaken by the Events Manager ahead of the Event in conjunction with the individual(s). We highly recommend a visit to Knowsley Hall to ensure we can cater to individual needs, and our Events Team is available to assist with arrangements.
Knowsley Hall has a selection of bedrooms for families, please speak to the Events team to discuss your requirements and they can assist you with the right bedroom to allocate. On arrival at the bedroom our member of staff will ensure that you are settled in comfortably and will run through the facilities in the room with you.
Assistance Dogs
Although we are unable to accept pets inside the Hall, assistance dogs are welcomed. To the rear of the Hall lie some beautiful gardens that can be accessed from the rear door beneath the grand staircase. We would ask that guests do not wander into the forests or to the lake for reasons of health and safety.
Emergency Egress
In the event of an emergency evacuation, guests are asked to leave the building calmly via one of the demarked fire exits, events staff and fire marshals will be on hand to assist in this process.
Any guests with disabilities or building users will be made aware of their most suitable escape route from the building and if required, will be assisted by members of the Events team to reach a place of safety.
A copy of a building plan showing all fire escape routes and assembly points will be made available upon request. During a residential stay, the relevant Fire Action Notices and a floorplan showing the most suitable escape route is included in each bedroom welcome pack for guests to review and familiarise themselves with.
Any wheelchair users or guests that cannot negotiate steps will be evacuated from the Building in an ‘Evac Chair’, and will be assisted by trained members of the Events Team.
Our Commitment to accessibility
This access statement will be updated periodically and following any works that effect access routes in or around the perimeter areas of the Property.
We constantly endeavour to improve accessibility to all our guests and any comments you have would be most welcomed. Please pass in your comments to any of our staff or contact the Duty Manager directly.
If you require any further information relating to accessibility of Knowsley Hall, please do not hesitate to contact us on 0151 489 4827 or via email on events@knowsley.com and we will do our best to answer your queries.
