We aim to make Spike Island accessible to as many people as possible. This page provides useful access information ahead of your visit. You can also download a pdf version of this access guide.

Welcome to Spike Island

We have an accessible building with lift access to the first floor and mezzanine floor, and accessible toilets on the ground and mezzanine floor. We welcome assistance dogs and offer the free use of a wheelchair and portable fold-up stools for your comfort whilst in the gallery.

Our dedicated Front of House team is on hand to help you and accommodate any access requirements you may have.

Large print information about our exhibitions is displayed on the gallery doors and walls. Audio guides to our exhibitions are available via QR codes in the gallery. Further details can be found in large print and audio guides which are available upon request from staff at reception. 

We offer a range of events and activities relating to our exhibitions, for more information about these please visit our programme page.

If you’d like to visit as a group, book ahead for a short introductory tour. Find out more here.

If you are planning to visit us and would like to learn more about our facilities, please do call us in advance on 0117 929 2266 or email admin@spikeisland.org.uk so that we can ensure your visit is as enjoyable as possible.

Before you arrive

• For an interactive map and further travel and contact information for Spike Island, please read this page of our website.
• Please note that Cumberland Road is partially closed and only open to outbound traffic (away from city centre). Only buses can travel inbound (to the city centre). Read more about Cumberland Road’s partial closure here.

Car parking and arrival

• A wide footpath runs along the front of our building which is located on Cumberland Road. The footpath is lined with trees and the roots of these trees have broken the footpath in some places making the ground uneven. A wheelchair-friendly picnic table is situated by the main building entrance.
• There is no on-site parking.
• From Monday to Friday, between 10am and 4.30pm and Saturday between 9am and 7pm, street parking is free for the first 30 minutes and £1.00 per hour for up to 3 hours. You do not need to buy a parking ticket on Bank Holidays. A pay and display car park is also available just off Gas Ferry Road.
• There are three blue badge spaces available directly outside the main entrance of Spike Island, and dropped kerbs from the road to the pavement. 
• There are no handrails at the main entrance. There is a very slight ramped incline from the pavement to the main entrance.

Main Entrance and Reception

• The main entrance and reception are located on Cumberland Road, at street level with step-free and even access throughout.
• The floor surface is tiled in the foyer.
• The space has a mix of natural light and fluorescent spotlights.
• There is a lowered section of the reception desk suitable for wheelchair users.
• Wheelchair loan and portable seats are available to use free of charge, upon request from Reception or Gallery staff.
• Entrance to the gallery is free and you do not need a ticket to visit the exhibitions. However, some of our programmed events and activities are ticketed and this will be made clear on our website.

Gallery

• Exhibitions are presented in the gallery which is situated on the ground floor through the main entrance
• The gallery is level throughout and has wide corridors
• This space is well lit however some of our exhibitions may require reduced lighting. Each exhibition is risk assessed and wherever possible the installations of artwork are accessible to all visitors.. 
• You enter the gallery through a large swing door – this remains open at all times during opening hours. The width of the doorway is 1440mm/57inches.
• The gallery floor surface is painted concrete, though some exhibitions require the space to be carpeted.
• Information about the exhibitions on display can be found on the gallery walls and large print A4 size guides are available at the exhibition entrance.  Ask a member of the gallery team if you need any assistance with accessing these. The exhibitions change up to 6 times per year, this means that the objects on display, lighting, sound and floor surface will change
• Visitor Assistants are located in the gallery to help you and answer any questions you may have. Visitor Assistants wear lanyards that say ‘staff’ on them, and black clothes.
• We aim to provide written transcripts and/or subtitles of the films we show, however, this is not always possible so please do get in touch ahead of your visit if you are reliant on such resources

Public Toilets

• Public Toilets are located on the ground floor, a short walk from the reception area, with clear signage on the walls.
• Our toilets are gender-neutral. Each toilet is within an enclosed cubicle with a thumbturn lock. The basins and hand dryers are in the shared space. There are also two shower cubicles, both of which have thumbturn locks on the doors. Accessible facilities are located on the ground floor, closer to the reception area.
• There is an emergency alarm cord in the accessible toilet cubicle.
• The door width of the accessible toilet cubicle measures 800mm/31.5 inches.
• Our taps and soap dispensers are not automatic. The single taps operate by push button and twist to change the temperature of the water. The soap dispensers have push buttons to release soap.
• Our facilities are brightly lit with a mix of natural light through frosted windows, as well as LED lighting.
• Our toilets have hot air hand dryers that work by lowering your hands down vertically. We also provide paper towel dispensers. The soap dispensers work by pushing to release soap.

Café

• Our café is located on the ground floor to the left of the main entrance.
• There is step free access.
• We have an outside patio with a wheelchair friendly picnic table.
• The café door is 950mm/37.4inches wide.
• Staff are on hand to help go through the menu with you.
• We offer table service at present but normally you queue at the counter or at the lower-height service point, to the right hand side of the till.  
• The space has a mix of both natural and spot lighting.
• There is a mixture of seating options including arm free upright chairs, benches and stools.
• The tables vary in size from seating 2 to 6 people. 
• The dining tables vary in size, seating 2 to 6 people.
• The café team will do their best to accommodate any dietary requirement you may have. Please let the café staff know on arrival of any specific requests you may have.

Contact us

If you have any further questions or wish to discuss your requirements before you visit, please contact us by phone: 0117 929 2266 or email admin@spikeisland.org.uk