Nuffield College
One of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford
March 2026
This page is currently being updated following major ground floor works to provide step-free access to all staircases.
- The main entrance is step free
- Step free access to Porters' Lodge
- Step free access to Upper Quad, Lower Quad and Back Quad
- Step free access to all staircases
- 1 accessible bedroom on main site
- 5 accessible toilets
- No Blue Badge parking
- Very limited standard parking available - you must contact the college in advance to ask about this
This table contains summary information about the building
| On-site designated parking for Blue Badge holders | No |
|---|---|
| Public designated parking for Blue Badge holders within 200m | Yes - Worcester Street car park |
| Other nearby parking | Yes - pay and display at Worcester Street car park |
| Main entrance | Step free. Manual door. Step free access to all Quads |
| Alternative entrance | Step free. George Street Mews. Manual gate. Access to all Quads |
| Wheelchair accessible toilets | Yes - 5 on college site |
| Lift | Yes - 2. Platform lift on Staircase A. Small passenger lift in Library tower. |
| Hearing support systems |
Yes - 2 induction loops in the Buttery; 1 in the Lecture room; 1 in the Lodge; 1 in the Old Lodge meeting room; 1 in each Octagon room |
Follow the link to view a floor plan of the building showing level access routes:
- Floor plans (PDF)
Main Entrance Worcester Street
- Step free access from pavement through to Lower Quad.
- The gate is manual and opens to 130 cm. The gate has a light closer. The bell and intercom are 117 cm and 128 cm high.
- The card reader is 105 cm high and the exit push button is 102 cm high. The gates are open between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm.
Alternative Entrances
New Road
- This entrance has ramped step free access; the door opens to 90 cm; it is a heavy door with a medium weight closer.
- The card reader and the exit push button are 90 cm high. The bell is 7 cm high and the intercom is 125 cm high.
Lower George Street Mews back gate
- Step free access to Back Quad.
- George Street Mews has an uneven cobbled surface and very narrow footpath. There is a steep slope from George Street Mews to the gate.
- The pedestrian gate is powered. This gate opens to 110 cm. The access controls are between 108 cm and 126 cm from the floor.
Upper George Street Mews Back Gate
- This pedestrian gate can only be reached by using stairs in Back Quad.
- The gate is powered; the card readers are between 108 cm and 119 cm high.
- The edges of the steps are lit up at night
Vehicle Entrance - George Street Mews
- Access to this gate from the mews has an uneven stone road surface
- The gate is manual
- The gate is opened by the Porters
- The Porter's Lodge is open 7am to midnight Mon-Sat and 9am to midnight Sun
- Anyone needing help with the doors can ring the Porters on 01865 278500
- Out of hours, help must be arranged in advance with OUSS, the University Security Service on 01865 289999.
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
Lodge
- There is step free access to the Lodge from Worcester Street and rom Lower Quad. The Lodge is staffed between 7am to midnight Mon-Sat and 9am to midnight Sunday.
- The Lodge doors are unlocked between 7.00 am and 6.00 pm. The card readers for the entrance doors are 104 cm and 97 cm high.
- The doors open to between 80 cm and 88 cm; the lodge doors are manual; the door from the main entrance has a medium heavy closer.
- The counter is 111 cm high.
- The porters are happy to come from behind the counter to help anyone unable to access it.
Pigeonholes
- There is step free access to the pigeonholes; the manual door opens to 88 cm and has a light closer. The card reader is 101 cm high.
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- The college has five accessible toilets
- The accessible toilet on Staircase A is on the first floor
- It is reached by using the stairs or a platform stair lift
- The accessible toilet on Staircase C is on the ground floor
There are locations without accessible toilets such as:
- Clay Room
- Conference Room
- Library
The dimensions of the toilets are as follows:
- Staircase A
146cm x 207cm - Staircase C
196 cm x 231 cm
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- There is one accessible bedroom in the College - Mews 11 at the east end of the Mews Building.
- This room has step free access
- The bedroom door is powered and opens to 114 cm
- The access control is between 93 cm and 113 cm from the floor
- The exit push button is between 93 cm and 114 cm from the floor
- There is an emergency assistance alarm available in this room
- The underside of the desk is 73 cm from the floor
- The desk top is 74 cm from the floor
- There is a height adjustable bed with adjustable head and feet
- The windows and curtains are operated electronically
- The bathroom measures 249 cm x 243 cm
- The bathroom has an emergency assistance alarm and grab rails
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge
Staircase A
• Platform lift giving access to the first floor accessible toilet and the SCR
• The lift platform is 140 cm deep and 110cm wide
• The doors are powered
• The doors open to 83cm wide
• The car controls are between 85 cm and 103 cm
• The lift has a handrail on one side
• The call buttons are between 93 cm and 140 cm
• There is no mirror
• The lift is well lit
• The wall surface is non-reflective
• There is no audio display
Library Tower
• Passenger lift giving access to all floors of the Library
• The lift car is undersized. The car is 97 cm wide and 110 cm deep
• Both sets of doors are manual
• The outer door opens to 74 cm and has a heavy closer. The inner gate opens to 69 cm
• The car controls are between 122 cm and 160 cm from the floor
• The lift call buttons are 135 cm from the floor
• The lift is well lit
• The wall surface is non-reflective
• There is no audio display
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- Many older buildings with a range of different styles of stairs
- Most stairs have handrails to one side only
- Some stairs have wide bannisters which are harder to grip
- Most of the staircases do not have visual contrast on the step edges
- Some staircases such as D and L are carpeted
- Step free access to accessible bedroom, main entrance, Large Lecture Theatre and Library ground floor lobby
- Stepped access only to most of the staircase entrances and the inner staircase doorways, Butler room, Chester room and Conference room
- Some of the inner doorway steps are fitted with steep timber ramps, which some people may find difficult to manage
- The college has portable ramps for some areas which the staff will put in place
- Anyone who is unable to manage steps should contact the Porter's Lodge in advance
- The images below show examples of stairs around the college
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- College with older listed buildings which would not meet current accessibility standards
- Most of the staircase doors are double doors with narrow leaves
- When both doors are open the width is about 94 cm
- Some of the doors in the college are heavy
- Some doors have vision panels
- Some doors have lever handles and some have door knobs. Most are unlocked using a fob or proximity card
- Most doors are manual
- There are powered doors in the following locations:
- Accessible bedroom door
- Platform lift Staircase A
- Accessible toilet Staircase C
- Entrance 3 and 5 George Street Mews
The images below show examples of doors around the college.
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- There is step free access to Upper Quad through the main entrance or through Back Quad
- Access to the buildings in Upper Quad is step free
- This quad has a network of stone paths
- There is level access on to the grass from the footpaths
- Some of the paving slabs are slightly uneven
- There is sloped access to Lower Quad
- This Quad contains Accessible Toilets, student accommodation, Buttery, Dining Hall, JCR, Laundry, Library, Seminar Rooms and Porter's Lodge
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge them:
- There is step free access to the Quad from the main entrance; there is stepped or sloped access from Upper Quad
- There is step free access to all the staircases in Lower Quad
- There is step free access to the Lower Lecture room and Clay room
- This Quad is paved with wide stone slab paths around a central lawn and inner pond
- There is ramped access to the grass
- The footpaths are slightly uneven in places
- The Lower Quad contains student accommodation, Chapel, Clay Room, Offices, meeting rooms and the Large Lecture Theatre
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- The Library is located in an 11-storey tower, accessed from the main College entrance hall.
- The library can only be reached by using steps or an undersized, old-fashioned passenger lift
- Whilst this may be useable by some disabled people with appropriate assistance, it does not meet current accessibility standards
- Some people will not be able to use this lift
- Library users who are unable to use stairs should contact the college in advance to discuss access
- The librarians provide a book retrieval service for anyone unable to manage stairs
- Library reception is on the first floor
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
The Brock Room
- This room is reached by using steps or a portable ramp at Staircase C
- The door opens to 75 cm and has a heavy closer
- The underside of the table is 59 cm from the floor
- The table top is 70 cm from the floor
Butler Room
- This room has step free access
- The door opens to 75 cm
Chester Room
- This room can only be reached by using stairs
- The door opens to 85 cm
Conference Room
- This room can only be reached by using stairs
- The door opens to 85 cm
- The underside of the tables is 67 cm from the floor
- The table tops are 73 cm from the floor
An alternative room will be booked for anyone unable to manage steps
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
Hall
- The Dining Hall is reached by using the steps up to the building door
- There is a steep portable ramp available for these steps
- There is an alternative entrance from the Fellows’ car park through the Fellow’s Garden
- This provides a step free route through the Dining Hall garden door
- This door needs to be opened by college staff. It can only be used by prior arrangement
- The double doors open to 113 cm
- These doors are open during mealtimes
- The underside of the tables is 65 cm from the floor
- The underside of the end of each table is 69 cm from the floor
- The table tops are 73 cm from the floor
- There is space to manoeuvre a wheelchair in the Hall
Buttery
- The door into the Buttery opens to 76 cm
- The countertops are 85 cm from the floor and have a counter overhang
- The underside of the tables is 71 cm from the floor
- The table tops are 76 cm from the floor
- There is space to manoeuvre a wheelchair in the Buttery
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- The JCR is reached by using steps up to the building or a portable ramp
- There is space to manoeuvre in this room
- The double doors open to 160 cm
- The doors are always left open
- Some people may need assistance to access the various drinks-making machines
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- The Laundry is in the basement. It can only be reached by using steps
- There is also a 22 cm high step into the laundry room
- There is a washer drier in the Housekeeping rooms in the Mews
- The housekeeping staff are happy to assist disabled students with this
Please click on the thumbnails below to enlarge:
- There are two induction loops in the Buttery
- One at the "meet and greet" station and one at the hot servery
Contact details
Nuffield College
New Road
Oxford
OX1 1NF
01865 278500
info@nuffield.ox.ac.uk
www.nuffield.ox.ac.uk
Contact the Access Guide
If you have feedback, would like to make a comment, report out of date information or request a change, please use the link below: