Floral Pavilion, New Brighton | Disabled Access Review

The floral Pavilion Theatre is a fairly modern building, having been refurbished in 2007. With 3 floors and 2 theatres, it was updated with wheelchair access in mind.  

The ground floor has clear glass automatic doors that are often open. Although it's in a protruding semi-circle shape, the textured darker flooring offers some contrast to those with low vision as you enter the next set of (usually open) doors and into the brightly lit foyer.  

The amount of windows lets in lots of natural sunlight from the river Mersey which the theatre overlooks. To the left is the Theatre box office and to the right is the cafe. Tables are well spaced out. Dogs are allowed in too, on the ground floor. At the back are a few couches, comfy, squashy leather chairs, with a low down coffee table between them and chairs are set around the higher tables in contrasting colours, one chair is white and the other is brown so it is easier to distinguish between where each is spaced, the tables have a pole in the middle so there are no legs obstructing wheelchair access.  The food display counter and kitchens are along the right wall. Next to this is the is the first disabled toilet. It's not huge, but there is wiggle room. 

In the centre, are 2 staircases, and in between them, a lift. It's shiny and silver. The button is difficult to see, even for a sighted person. Inside the narrow lift, there is no turning room. Due to the dim lighting and mirrors the floor buttons are hard to see. The floor descriptions are written in text and there is a voiceover (although quiet) to alert blind/visually or those with dementia where they are. 

As you exit the lift to the first floor, you go straight ahead into a bar/lounge area. The colours here aren't great and it can be quite confusing for visually impaired people, as the orange, patterned, swirling carpet blends into the yellow furniture too well.  On this floor, are 3 more disabled toilets. Disappointingly, none are Changing Places facilities. The second is the one I used, the colour scheme was white and cream with a grey floor. The bathroom had about 3 bars, including a vertical one that pulls down. Along the right wall is a baby-changing table. If you needed an adult size one, you'd have no option but to use an unhygienic floor. There are a few larger toilets that could be made into a proper accessible Changing Places bathroom.  

The main theatre is through a door to the left of the toilets. From what I remember, inside, there's a rose carpet with rows of matching plush theatre seats. Wheelchair users who can't transfer are allocated part of a row along the central stalls. For those able to transfer, running down the middle of the seats, is a ramp, instead of stairs, that guide to the stage. 

At the other end of the bar/lounge area, is another stage. I've only been in here once to a gig some years ago but I don’t remember the layout. 

Back in the lift, we go up to the restaurant on the top floor.  Exiting out straight ahead, you come to the panoramic lounge with a view of the river Mersey and Liverpool skyline greets you from the other side of the large space through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. When we went, the tables were laid out along the edge, beside the windows.  The tables themselves weren't great for wheelchair users as they were held up by one leg in the centre of the square dark wood table.  To get in so I could reach my bowl of soup, I had to lift up the footplates on my wheelchair so my knees could fit under. As my driving panel doesn't twist, I was stuck on the end, as the driving panel was the same height as the table. 

The food and service was ok. I enjoyed my mushroom soup, but my friend's soup, arrived lukewarm. However, this was soon remedied.  

This floor had no toilets and the jazzy carpet made it hard to distinguish the stairs from lift. 

Overall, the disabled access is good. However, it's more aimed at wheelchair users than any other disability. As my review shows there is room for improvement that the theatre can take in terms of decor, furniture and perhaps the bathroom. Overall, the access is good and there are stunning views of the River Mersey and Liverpool.