74 High Street

There is no parking on site for students or staff. There is nearby blue badge parking available – see map for details.

In certain circumstances, students may be able to use a parking space belonging to Exam Schools – the building next door. However, this is only available on an occasional one-off basis. Please contact the department directly to discuss this.

Please click on the link below to view a map of Blue Badge parking in central Oxford.

• Oxford Blue Badge parking map (PDF)

The main entrance of the building is on High Street and has four steps up to a small landing, then one further step up to an access controlled door.

There is an accessible entrance shared with Exam Schools next door.The entrance is in between Exam Schools and Ruskin School of Art. The ramp leads to access controlled powered doors - department members will be able to use their Bodleian Card to gain entrance. There is also an intercom here that will connect you to a member of staff during opening hours - it is advisable to use this to request assistance with the heavy doors leading into the ground floor. The intercom and card reader are at an accessible height for wheelchair users.

Once inside the entrance you will see a ramp to the right - this takes you through to Exam Schools. There is a lift ahead of you which you can use to access the basement floor of Ruskin School of Art and Exam Schools. Go past the lift to the left and you will see wooden double doors leading into Ruskin School of Art. These doors are heavy and some wheelchair users may find it hard to use these independently - as noted it is advisable to request assistance via the intercom. Staff will be happy to help.

If you take the lift to the basement, entrance to Ruskin School of Art is through an access controlled manual door.

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There is no reception in the building. However, staff are on site and able to answer the intercom whenever the building is open. Students with mobility impairments using the accessible entrance are advised to use the intercom to request assistance with the heavy wooden double doors into the ground floor.

There is one accessible toilet in the Ruskin School of Art basement area. The toilet is in the central lobby area between the studios.  There is a door into the toilets which is usually held open. The gender neutral toilets are on the right; the accessible toilet is on the left. This has a bi-fold door which some people may find harder to use.

There is an additional accessible toilet in the Exam Schools side of the basement area. As there is a slight change in levels in the basement, make sure that you exit the lift into the lower area. The accessible toilet will be ahead of you. If you are in Ruskin School of Art you will need to come through the access controlled door into Exam Schools to use this toilet – come through the door, turn right, go past the lift and the accessible toilet will be on the left.

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There is a platform lift connecting the ground floor and the basement. There are manually operated doors either side of the lift to cope with the slight change in levels on the ground floor and basement. The call buttons outside the lift must be held down until the lift arrives. There is plenty of room for manoeuvring inside the lift. There is no audio information. There are LEDs on the lift buttons to indicate what floor you are on.

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Because of its age, the building is not constructed to modern accessibility standards. The stairs are stone, wide, rather worn in places and may prove difficult to use for some people with mobility or visual impairments.

The stairs between the basement and ground floor do have contrasting edgings. The first few stairs curve round to the right (ascending) with no rails in place. After this there is a handrail on the right (ascending).

The stairs from ground floor up to second floor do not have any contrasting edgings.  While there are a few sections of stairs with a handrail in place, this is not consistent. There is wooden panelling in place that some people with a visual impairment may find useful as a guide but it is not sufficient to be used as a handrail.

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Aside from the accessible entrance, there are no powered doors in the building. Many doors are old and heavy and may be a struggle for some people to use. Many doors do not have vision panels, or have vision panels in the upper part of the door.

There are wooden double doors leading from the accessible entrance into the main building which are heavy and difficult to use (see pictures). These will be a struggle for some people with disabilities to use. As noted in the entrance section of the guide, it is advisable to request assistance with these doors via the intercom.

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There is a small unstaffed library on the ground floor. There is level access, and a good amount of manoeuvring space around the room. Chairs are freestanding, and there is a good kneehole space under the main table, and smaller desk space housing the library catalogue, computer and printer. Bookcases are floor to ceiling meaning that some people may need to ask for support to reach the higher shelves. 

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Most lectures and teaching sessions are delivered in the Old Masters Studio. This is on the first floor and can only be reached by the staircase. Furniture is freestanding and can be arranged as needed. For students unable to use the stairs, some sessions may be able to take place at the Bullingdon Road site which is fully accessible. Please contact the department directly to discuss this further. 

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There is a small seminar room on the ground floor known as the Theory Studio. As well as seminars, this room is also used as a quiet working space and has a small library. There is level access into the room and a good amount of manoeuvring space. Chairs are freestanding, and there is ample kneehole space under the main table, and smaller desk space. Bookcases are floor to ceiling meaning that some people may need to ask for support to reach the higher shelves.

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Basement

As you come into the basement from the lift and through the access controlled door, Studio 3 is immediately to your right. There is a slight slope immediately inside the door leading up into the studio, this may be tricky to navigate for some wheelchairs users and people with mobility impairments. In addition, the vision panel is in the top half of the door so please do take care when entering this room. Once inside, there is level access around the studio. There are two steps leading up to a store room, meaning that this is not accessible for wheelchair users and some people with mobility impairments. 

Studio 1 is also in the basement – from the lift and access controlled door bear left and then go straight ahead. Studio 1 will be in front of you. The door is rather heavy and has no vision panel so care is needed here. Once inside, there is level access around the studio.

There is also a small workshop in the basement.

First/second floor

There is further studio space available on the first and second floor. This is only accessible using the staircase.

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There are no hearing support systems in place. If you will need to use a hearing support system such as an induction loop, please contact the department in advance so that arrangements can be made.