Accessibility
Artsadmin is strongly committed to embedding accessibility within our artistic programme, our communications, our building Toynbee Studios, and our working practices. We believe in and follow the social model of disability and recognise that access looks different for everybody. We aim to provide as much information as possible for you to decide what is accessible to you.
Below is some general information about access at Toynbee Studios. Further information about specific studios and event spaces is included under each space in the Spaces for hire section of this website. And information relevant to a particular event is included in the event listing in the What’s on section of this website.
If you have any questions or access requirements that we haven’t covered here, please get in touch with us by phone: 020 7247 5102 or email: access@artsadmin.co.uk
Toynbee Studios
- Toynbee Studios is a few minutes’ walk from several bus stops with routes serving different parts of the city, and from Aldgate East tube station which is on the District and Hammersmith and City lines.
- The nearest stations with step-free access are Liverpool Street and Shoreditch High Street. See Transport for London’s guidance on step-free access.
- The closest available parking is the NCP car park on Whitechapel High Street; there is no parking including accessible parking on site.
- Both Commercial Street and Whitechapel High Street are red routes meaning no stopping; the closest drop off is on Wentworth Street, roughly 100m from the Toynbee Studios entrance.
- With advance warning, we can arrange drop-offs or pick-ups from the rear building entrance, accessed from Gunthorpe Street.
- There are bike racks available for visitors to use.
- The entrance to Toynbee Studios is on the right side of Mallon Gardens when you are facing away from Commercial Street. (Yellow arrow)
- This is a flat entrance with a sliding door. A permanent ramp that is 175cm wide leads to the rest of the building.
- When there are events happening in the café, there is an alternative entrance. (Orange arrow). A member of staff will either buzz you in or will be able to come and assist you.
- This alternative entrance has a temporary ramp in place which is 80cm wide
- From the ground floor entrance, there are 42 steps to access the first floor, 26 steps from the first to the second floor, 23 from the second to the third floor and 26 from the third to the fourth floor.
- There is lift access to all floors which includes access to all the rehearsal studios. This lift is 100cm wide x 125cm deep. A few of our smaller rented office/artist studio units are only accessible by stairs.
- Signage in the lift and in the stairwells on each floor details which rooms are on each level and individual spaces are labelled on the doors.
- There is a lift in the theatre for access to stage left which is 90cm wide x 122cm deep
- There are button-operated, power-assisted doors leading from the stairwells / lift exits to the corridors. Corridors are a minimum of 118cm wide. Doors to most spaces are 90cm with wider doors to some studios – none of these are power-assisted.
- In the event of a fire alarm, the lift will not be operational. There are refuge points on each floor where people should wait if they cannot use the stairs, and evacuation chairs to facilitate safe movement out of the building. Call buttons at each refuge point will allow people waiting to communicate with the Fire Marshall who will inform emergency services where they are.
- All of our toilets are gender neutral. Accessible toilets are located on the ground, first and third floors.
- In the first-floor accessible toilet there is an accessible shower with a fold-down shower seat and ergonomic sink that is adjustable in height.
- On the first floor there is a toilet with a baby changing table.
- We welcome service animals and can provide a drinking bowl.
- Mallon Gardens is directly in front of Toynbee Studios, or Altab Ali Park is a short walk up Whitechapel High Street with slightly more space to walk dogs. Please clean up after them.
- We do not have a public food offer, but all visitors are welcome to bring their own food and drink and use the café when it is not in use as an event space. Please be aware that as people are bringing food and drink from elsewhere, we are unable to control allergens.
- If you need to refrigerate specific food or medicine, please let the person at the Welcome Desk know when you arrive and they will be able to show you the nearest fridge to the space you are using.
- There is good wifi provision available to visitors throughout the building. There are sockets in all of the studios and in the café for charging personal devices to support captioning software and other adaptive software.
Keeping this information up to date
We regularly check all communal spaces in Toynbee Studios for maintenance issues and take out of service any equipment or utilities that are below standard. We are working on upgrading some older equipment and bringing back into use some existing equipment which has not been recently serviced, as well as investing in new features which will make our building more accessible. We discuss this work weekly on a Thursday and update the accessibility information on the website on a Friday with the latest information.
If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at access@artsadmin.co.uk or by calling 020 7247 5102.
