Accessibility at Upton House and Gardens

Buggy with wheelchair ramp down at the end of the main drive at Upton House — The buggy available for transfer from the car park to the main house at Upton House, Warwickshire | © Simon Davies

We are committed to making Upton House and Gardens accessible for everyone visiting. The historic house and gardens we care for present challenges creating access for all. We are taking steps to enable as many people as possible to experience Upton’s remarkable collection, stories and beauty. Here you’ll find information about access across the property to help you get the most out of your visit.

Efforts are continuously being made to improve visitor experiences and recognise the variety of needs visitors may have. Feedback and suggestions are appreciated and can be sent to uptonhouse@nationaltrust.org.uk or call 01295 670266.

Access for people with disabilities

The National Trust has a variety of ways people can access places for free or at discounted admission rates. You can find out more about these cards on our Access for Everyone page.

More detailed information about access is available through our Access Able Access Guide.

Arrival, parking and welcome

The main car park is located 300m from the House and main facilities. There is a buggy / shuttle service to support transfer, hard standing pathways and manual wheelchairs available from Visitor Reception.
There are 3 accessible parking spaces close to the House. Visitors may also drop off passengers at the House before returning the car to the main car park. The Welcome team will be happy to facilitate this on the day or you’re welcome to contact us ahead of your visit if you’d like to discuss your arrangements further. There are swing-hinged pedestrian gates out of the main car park and into the entrance leading to the Visitor Reception building. Please be aware, there is a private road that runs in between.

Visitor Reception

Sensory offer

Sensory toys and ear defenders are available to borrow from Visitor Reception. There is a Quiet Orchard at Upton, shown on the map, where you’ll find space to relax and seating available.
Off the pathway, natural play areas of the woodland have logs to weave in and out of, a tunnel made from holly and a giant nest made from branches and foliage. The surface is bark chippings with areas of undergrowth from the woodland trees and plants. This is a space for you to create your own multisensory nature experiences. What you can see, hear, feel and touch will change across the seasons.

Buggy / shuttle service

An assistance buggy runs the 300 metres between Visitor Reception and the House. It also runs to and from the forecourt leading to the shop, plant centre, garden and Pavilion café. These pedestrian routes have a firm, tarmac surface.

For level-access entry into the café, the buggy can run visitors to the level pathway leading to the main front entrance. The buggy can also run you to the side door for direct entry.

The buggy is able to accommodate wheelchairs via a ramp and has step-access in and out. We do have a drop off point near the house.

Wheelchairs

Outdoor manual wheelchairs are available to borrow on a first come, first serve basis.

You will find these in the summer house next to the shop. Please ask staff if you need assistance.

Assistance dogs

We welcome assistance dogs in all areas of the property.

A tap is available in the plant centre if you need to refill a water container for your dog. Please ask a member of shop staff to assist you as needed.

Two women look at books in the library at Upton House and Gardens in Warwickshire — Visitors in the library at Upton House | © National Trust Images/James Dobson

Accessibility in the House

Entrance

The main entrance into the House is via the courtyard at the end of the long driveway from Visitor Reception. There are five stone steps up to the front door. There is no handrail.
Level-access entry into the house is via an access ramp installed at the side door. Please ask staff at Visitor Reception if you’d like to use the side entrance and they will arrange for a member of the house team to meet you at the side door when you’d like to visit.
The House has wide routes throughout and wood flooring with some carpeted rooms. There are seats in all rooms, along with a number of interpretation guides including large print, braille and picture guides.

Access to the lower-ground floor

Access to the lower-ground floor is down 16 wooden steps. The steps are marked individually across with white strips. There is a handrail on the right-hand-side of the staircase only. We have a photo guide if you would prefer not to use the steps. This is available to view on the West Stairs.

Lighting and temperature in the House

Lighting is both artificial LED and natural light. It is kept at a moderate to low level to protect the collection.
The temperature in the House is controlled to protect the collection. This can make it feel cool inside.

Braille and Touch guides

Braille guides for the house and garden are available in the main entrance hall. Please ask staff for assistance as needed.
Room interpretation is printed in 18pt large print. If you would like a larger print font, please email us upton@nationaltrust.org.uk prior to your visit, and we can share a copy of the guide
The picture catalogue are also printed in 18 pt large print.
For each room there is a list of ‘touch to see’ items. Please let the room guide know on the day if you would like to ‘touch to see’ in the room, or alternatively please contact us ahead of your visit to organise a touch tour.

Squash Court Gallery

Level access to the Squash Court Gallery is via the Quiet Orchard or up the slope from the garden entrance. There are tarmac and crushed-stone paths along both routes.
There is a ramp from the Quiet Orchard down towards the gallery entrance. The surface has stone slabs. A metal handrail runs along the right-hand-side of the ramp.
The historic internal door into the gallery is off a narrow corridor, which may be inaccessible to larger mobility vehicles.
The outside door into the corridor has a slightly raised threshold.
The gallery has historic wood floor panels.

Accessibility in the Garden

The main garden entrance is via a level tarmac path from the plant centre. There is also access via sloping paths from the Quiet Orchard. The hard paths around the garden perimeter are crushed stone.
The south terrace in front of the House is accessible via a level pathway. The surface is stone paving. There are 8 stone steps down to the South Lawn, with a low wall on either side. There is no handrail. The most accessible route onto the Main Lawn is along the top of the grass bank, following the edge of the rockery on your left.
Beyond the Main Lawn, the garden descends steeply in a series of terraces down to the Kitchen Garden, Lupin border and Mirror Pool. Spring and summer access to the lower terraces is via a stone staircase. This has 72 steps and stone handrails either side in some places. The final 17 steps down to the grass path have a low wall on either side, and no handrail.
There are firm grass paths along the terraces. Steep grass slopes and stone steps connect the terraces down to the Mirror Pool. There are no handrails along these paths.
In the Bog Garden the fragile grass paths are soft and narrow in places. This area of the garden features historic stew ponds, which are unguarded. The Mirror Pool is also unguarded.
In the winter, access to the Mirror Pool is via the hard pathway that runs around the perimeter of the garden. This route is steep and uneven and includes stone steps and several drops. There is no handrail. It is unsuitable for manual wheelchairs, mobility vehicles, prams and pushchairs.
Wooden seats and benches are located in the Quiet Orchard, outside the Squash Court Gallery, on the south and west terraces, the Main Lawn and at intervals throughout the lower gardens. There are also some picnic benches which can accommodate wheelchairs in the plant centre near the shop.
Upton’s Quiet Orchard is a dedicated silent space accessible to all visitors seeking some quiet time surrounded by nature.

Woodland Walk

The Woodland Walk has a level pathway between Visitor Reception and the Pavilion café. The surface is bark chippings. Both sides of the path have a raised wooden edge.