Midlands
IN AND AROUND STAFFORD
Stafford Town Centre
Please note these pages are currently being updated and whilst most of the update is now complete, Alton Towers is still to be researched so we strongly advise you to check with their own website for more current information.
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire and is a busy thriving market town. Most of the town centre is level with pedestrianised areas and dropped kerbs and there is good access to a large proportion of the shops.
Stafford Shopmobility (which has scooters as well as manual and powered chairs available to hire) is located in Broad Street (ST16 2DE for sat nav) and is open from Monday to Saturday from 9am to 4pm. Phone 01785 619456. Visitors will need to register for insurance purposes and bring two forms of identification (blue badge, driving licence or passport and a utility bill with a current home address). At present the cost is £3 per two hour session (or part thereof).
To find out more about the history of the town and its wide variety of architecture you can pick up a heritage walk leaflet from The Tourist Information Centre which is located inside the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre on Eastgate Street.
The Town Trail
The Ancient High House
The trail route is wheelchair accessible and starts outside the 16th century High House in Greengate Street (N.B. Due to its historic nature the interior of this magnificent building it is understandably not wheelchair accessible).
St Mary's Church
No 2 on the Heritage Trail is St. Mary's, the parish church of Stafford. People have worshipped here for at least twelve hundred years. First in the open air around a wooden cross that you can see outside, then in a wooden church, then in a small stone church in about 1000 AD. The present building is eight hundred years old. There is a ramp to allow access into the church and if this is not in place please ask the warden on duty.
Victoria Park
No 10 on the town trail is Victoria Park which was opened in 1908 and from here there are pleasant walks along the river. The town is noted for its floral displays and the park is a good example of these. There is wheelchair access to the Victorian Glasshouse at the rear of the building.
For more detailed accessibility information about the trail and a link to the council website where you can download the trail leaflet please click here.
The Shire Hall Gallery
The Shire Hall Gallery
The Shire Hall Gallery is housed in former Crown Court building which is located in the Market Square in the centre of Stafford.
Throughout the year the Gallery hosts a wide variety of exhibitions and also promotes and sells art work in its Craft Shop. Access to the Balcony Coffee Shop and courtrooms is via lifts.
The gallery has a multi-sensory room equipped with lighting and sound effects as well as tactile elements to stimulate all the senses and promote hand/eye coordination. It also is great for winding down and chilling out. Visitors can book this room for private use please contact the gallery for further information.
For more detailed accessibility information and a link to their website please click here.
Amerton Farm and Craft Centre
The Courtyard Entrance at Amerton Farm
Amerton Farm and Craft Centre is located approximately six miles from Stafford on the A 518 Uttoxeter Road. There are a variety of things to see and do including craft shops, a small selection of farm animals, a garden centre and a wildlife rescue centre.
The train
Also on site is a small steam train which has a wheelchair accessible carriage capable of accommodating two wheelchair users.
For more detailed accessibility information and a link to their website please click here.
Shugborough Hall and Estate
The Mansion House
Shugborough Hall is located at Milford about six miles from Stafford on the A513 Rugeley Road. Originally part of the estates of the Bishop of Lichfield, the land was purchased in 1642 by William Anson and the central three storey part of the house was built in 1693 by his grandson also called William. During the following centuries the Hall has undergone a series of tranformations and refurbishment to become the present day Mansion.
Our researcher enjoying the beautiful gardens
As well as The Mansion House and gardens visitors can see Shugborough Park Farm and the wider estate. There are also two tearooms and a shop to visit.
Our researchers found that although due to the historic nature of the building not all of the Mansion is wheelchair accessible there was plenty to fill a whole day out and a great deal of effort had been made to enhance their visitor experience.
For more detailed accessibility information and a link to their own website please click here
The Wolseley Centre
The Boardwalk at The Wolseley Centre
If you take the A513 from Shugborough towards Rugeley where it meets the A51 The Wolseley Centre is signposted off of the roundabout. It is run by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and is set in the grounds of a medieval manor house that was home to the Wolseley family from Saxon times. There are a series of paths and a boardwalk that meander around several lakes, they have excellent surfaces for wheelchairs and there is access to a good proportion of the site.
A family of Canada Geese on one of the lakes
There is an abundance of wildlife on the site including otters. A pathway runs from the centre to the adjacent Wyevale garden centre where there is a cafe serving meals and light snacks.
For more detailed accessibility information about the centre and a link to their own website please click here.
Cannock Chase Visitor Centre
Cannock Chase Visitor Centre
Cannock Chase is one of the largest country parks in England and has a mixture of heath land and forest with wild deer. There is a visitor centre in Marquis Drive with a small exhibition, a cafe and a Radar key operated designated toilet.
Following the tramper trail
A two mile accessible trail around the site of former RAF Hednesford station starts from the visitor centre and 3 tramper scooters are available to loan for visitors with limited mobility.
For more detailed accessibility information about the centre and a link to their own website please click here.
The Museum Of Cannock Chase
The Museum of Cannock Chase
The Museum is situated at Hednesford on the site of the old colliery and there is free parking. Access to the galleries on the first floor is via a lift or stair climber. As well as general information about the Chase, the mine workings reconstruction gives a very interesting insight into working lives of the miners and conditions underground.
The mine reconstruction
There is a really good tactile element at the museum with opportunities to handle wooden toys and other artefacts. A small shop and a cafe are located on the ground floor.
For more detailed accessibility information about the museum and a link to their own website please click here.
Trentham Shopping Village
The Shopping village
Trentham Leisure Complex is located about 12 miles north of Stafford on the A34 on the outskirts of Stoke on Trent. It offers a wide variety of things to do, including a large garden centre, the shopping village, extensive parklands with a lakeside walk, a boat trip and a big effort has been made to make the majority of Trentham wheelchair friendly including wheelchair access to the boat and there are plenty of designated toilets and all the shops and cafes/restaurants are accessible. There is so much to see and do here you will need to allow a whole day to cover it all.
For more detailed accessibility information about the shopping village and a link their own website please click here.
Trentham Gardens
A view across the lake in the Italian Gardens
The beautifully restored Italian Gardens at Trentham are part of the Trentham Estate and as well as the pleasure gardens they include the mile long lake, acres of woodland and a childrens adventure play area to explore.
The Prairie Garden in early Autumn
General access around the gardens is good on mainly level, compacted shallow gravel paths however most manual wheelchair users will require the assistance of an able pusher to negotiate some inclined areas.
The gardens ticket office and entrance is located within the shopping village.
For more detailed accessibility information about the gardens and a link to their own website please click here.
The Monkey Forest
A family group in spring at Monkey Forest
Monkey forest is set in 60 acres of beautiful woodland and meadows at the southern end of the Trentham Estate in Staffordshire. 140 Barbary macaques live within the forest in two main groups and have total freedom to wander and live as they would in the wild mountain areas of their native North Africa.
Getting up close with the residents
General access around the site is good and on compacted surface paths with a designated route for wheelchair users avoiding the steeper slopes.There is a cafe and shop located near the entrance.
For more detailed accessibility information and a link to their own website please click here.
Alton Towers
Also in Staffordshire approximately 20 miles from Stafford is Alton Towers Theme Park and the adjacent Splash Landings Hotel where it is possible to get combined bookings for accommodation and entry into the park.
Our researchers entering into the Haunted Hollow.
This proved a fun day out and our researchers had a great time. You can download their more detailed reports for both the theme park and the hotel here.
It is advisable to check out the special rates and seasonable offers available on Alton Towers website. If you would like a copy of their disabled access leaflet beforehand you can download it from their website in pdf but it prints out extremely small so it might be advisable to ask for a copy to be mailed.
The en-suite wheel-in shower in an accessible room at the Splash Landings hotel.
Set in the heart of England, Stafford and the surrounding countryside offer a good variety of places to visit with plenty to see and do.