The Georgian House accessibility guide

Getting here

The Georgian House
7 Charlotte Square
Edinburgh
EH2 4DR

The Georgian House is in the New Town area of Edinburgh city centre.

By public transport

The nearest bus stops are on Queensferry Street, Shandwick Place, and Princes Street, all of which have frequent services going in and out of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh bus station is 0.8 miles away (16-minute walk).

The nearest train stations are Edinburgh Haymarket (12-minute walk) or Edinburgh Waverley (18-minute walk).

The nearest cycle parking locations are George Street and Queen Street, both with Sheffield Stands.

Parking

There is no car park or on-street parking at the property but there are pay-and-display bays on Glenfinlas Street (adjacent to Charlotte Square) and St Colme Street (behind Charlotte Square), both of which are a short walk with no steps. The nearest car park is NCP Edinburgh Castle Terrace which has 5 disabled spaces and is 0.5 miles (a 10-minute walk) to the Georgian House.

NCP Edinburgh Castle Terrace

Getting around the house

Access to the four levels of the property is via stone staircase. Each staircase has a handrail, includes at least one turn, and the lighting levels are low. There are two rooms with step-free access on the ground floor, leading off from the entrance hall. There is no wheelchair access either into or around the property.

An introductory film (with subtitles) and armchair guide are available on a tablet at the reception desk. There’s also a small retail area in the entrance hall.

• There are five steps to the entrance of the Georgian House. There is a front door which is propped open for visitors, followed by an internal double-door.
• The front desk height is 90.5cm.
• There is an induction loop at the front desk.
• The staircases to the first and second floors are made up of 25 steps each. The staircase down to the basement level is 18 steps.
• Across the ground, first and second floors there is a mixture of stone, carpet and wood flooring, as well as large rugs. There is uneven stone and wood flooring throughout the basement level.
• There is cushioned visitor seating on every floor (any chair without holly leaves is there for visitors – please ask a member of the team if you are at all unsure).

Facilities

Shop

The shop is located in the basement, one level below the ground floor entrance.

• The door width is 85cm.
• There is a central display stand, and space to walk around it. At its narrowest, there is circulation space between the display stand and the shelving of 65cm.
• The counter height is 90.5cm.
• The till point does not have an induction loop.
• The wooden floor is uneven in places. The shop is brightly lit, with both overhead room lights and display lights above all the shelves.

Staff are available to assist with any objects too high or heavy to reach and can provide price information for items.

Toilets

The toilets are located on the second floor of the house. Both toilets are unisex. One is also an accessible toilet, with baby-changing facilities.

• There is level entry.
• The lights are motion activated.
• Door width is 70cm.
• The accessible toilet has a circulation space of 2m, and grab handles.

The visitor experience

Upon arrival you will be given a map with a floor plan of the building and offered a verbal introduction to the house, covering some historical background information and a talk through the suggested route. The suggested route is to start at the top (on the second floor) and work down to the basement (four floors in total). However the tour is self-guided so can be adapted to suit visitor preference.

• The first hour of opening is usually the quietest time. The quietest rooms are the exhibition rooms on the second floor where there is more lighting and seating available.
• Large print guides are available in all the rooms.
• Some rooms have low lighting. As the house is south facing, the back rooms (bedroom and parlour) can be especially dim during the winter months as most lighting comes from the windows. Moreover, the lighting must be controlled in the restored rooms to protect the collections. The most well-lit room is the activity/exhibition room on the second floor. Please let a member of staff know if you require any assistance as you go round.
• There are sound effects in the kitchen, and low ambience music in the entrance hall, parlour, drawing room and shop. We can arrange for all sounds to be switched off for the duration of a visit; either phone the house in advance of your visit or enquire at the desk on arrival.
• The film room on the second floor is kept dark, with closed curtains and low light. Rows of chairs are arranged for visitors to sit and watch the introductory film. The film is subtitled.

Last updated: May 2023