Access information:
- Level access via a side entrance
- There is a large accessible toilet
Friends Meeting House
Despite a lack of dropped curbs in nearby streets, the friends meeting house is quite accessible, with access to most of the main rooms and good toilet facilities. Staff are very welcoming and helpful and rooms are quite cheap to hire.
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Address:
Ship Street
Brighton
BN1 1AF
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Phone:
01273 770 258
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Web:
www.brightonquakers.co.uk
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Opening Times:
Opening Times: Tuesday - Sunday 9.00am - 10.00pm. Bookings can be made for Mondays.
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Getting There / Parking:
Situated on the western edge of the lanes, from the station, it would take roughly ten minutes to walk there. No buses stop on Ship Street, the nearest bus stop is on North Street, which is roughly two minutes away.
Parking is very restricted although there are a few blue badge bays in the area. You could of course, use one of the NCP multi storey car parks, the closest being in Black Lion Street, two minutes away.
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Getting In:
There is level access from the street, leading to the front doors of the original building. There is clearly signed wheelchair access to the left of the building, leading to a double door, which opens outwards. There is a bell to the right, should the door be locked. There are no vision panels in this door and care should be taken by wheelchair users.
The main door to the reception area is up two steps which are highlighted. There are four, very small grab rails on the pillars by the steps, this is because it is a listed building. Once up the steps, there are double, very narrow doors. Only one side of these doors are open at any one time, and they open outwards.
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Getting Around / Facilities:
To the right of the reception desk are the public toilets, the gents is down one step and the ladies down a further three steps. (These toilets are scheduled for refurbishment during late Autumn/early Winter, they are to be completely refurbished and will have level access from reception.)
To the left of reception, is the entrance to the main meeting room which can accommodate 200 people. The room has excellent accoustics which were designed when the building was built, a result of which is the fact that there has been no need for electrical ampification during the buildings history. The main corridor to the back of the building is very wide and level. Half way down this corridor there is a lecture room.
You then come to the main staircase which is three flights high, unfortunately, there is no stair lift or passenger lift to gain access to the upper building. It is on these floors that you will find meeting rooms 2, 3 & 4.
It is recommended that anyone wishing to book these facilities, comes to look around first, just to check that the rooms are suitable for your needs.
There is a very small cafe, furnished with movable tables and chairs and a real open fire! There is an accessible toilet, with a very heavy door. This is being investigated at present. It has a right hand transfer toilet, high level cistern, all the appropriate grab rails and an alarm. There are two hand basins and a baby changing unit, this is where the communal wheelchair is stored, this is available for use by anyone who requires it.
Opposite the accessible toilet is the quiet room, which is open to anyone who wishes to spend some quiet time alone.
The back entrance to the building, which is also the fire escape, are double doors with opaque glass and a doorbell, as with the wheelchair entrance. There is a tiny ramp and two iron gates which lead to Meeting House Lane. Directly outside the gate, is a drainage gully, be careful if using this entrance.
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Additional Comments:
The Friends Meeting House was built in 1805, by the quakers, at a cost of £1800! It was extended in 1876. The Fig trees in the garden are over 205 years old and still bearing fruit!
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Reviewed By:
Kathy & George
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Review Date:
March 2009
Published in
Public Buildings & Community Centres - Brighton
