VG&M Accessibility Information Page
Getting Here
Blue Badge Holders
If you are a Blue Badge holder you can download our step by step photographic guide to parking on campus: Accessible Car Parking for Blue Badge Holders at the Victoria Gallery and Museum
Parking for Blue Badge Holders is free.
Parking for Blue Badge Holders is free.
Arrival & Car Parking Facilities
We do not have a dedicated car park but car users may use the University's Visitor Car park on Mount Pleasant Car Park, 200m away from The VGM. There is a charge for use of the visitor car park.
The route from the car park is along a smooth, flat and level pavement with PELICAN crossings across Brownlow Hill.
Visitors, including coach parties, may be dropped off on Brownlow Hill where there is a dropped kerb which is just past the traffic lights and crossing outside of the VG&M entrance, opposite the Barclays Bank.
The route from the car park is along a smooth, flat and level pavement with PELICAN crossings across Brownlow Hill.
Visitors, including coach parties, may be dropped off on Brownlow Hill where there is a dropped kerb which is just past the traffic lights and crossing outside of the VG&M entrance, opposite the Barclays Bank.
Journey from the City Centre
Find out the best way to get here by using the Merseytravel journey planner or by calling Mersey travel on 0871 200 2233.
There is detailed information on accessibility at the Victoria Gallery & Museum on the Disabled Go website.
There is detailed information on accessibility at the Victoria Gallery & Museum on the Disabled Go website.
The Victoria Gallery and Museum is situated in the Victoria Building on The University of Liverpool campus. It is located on Brownlow Hill.
Travelling from Lime Street, Brownlow Hill is reached by turning left after the Adelphi Hotel. Please be aware that the road has a steep gradient. Brownlow Hill is a main route through the city and so can be quite noisy with heavy traffic. There are pedestrian crossings at all of the main road junctions on the way up.
As you travel up Brownlow Hill, the Victoria Building with its distinctive red brick and clock tower can be seen at the top of Brownlow Hill on the left hand side, opposite a small row of shops.
Travelling from Lime Street, Brownlow Hill is reached by turning left after the Adelphi Hotel. Please be aware that the road has a steep gradient. Brownlow Hill is a main route through the city and so can be quite noisy with heavy traffic. There are pedestrian crossings at all of the main road junctions on the way up.
As you travel up Brownlow Hill, the Victoria Building with its distinctive red brick and clock tower can be seen at the top of Brownlow Hill on the left hand side, opposite a small row of shops.
Arrival
The main entrance can be accessed from Ashton Street, next to Brownlow Hill. The main entrance has automatic glass doors, which slide open when you reach them. Once through the automatic doors, turn immediately left and the entrance into the Welcome Area is on the right hand side.
The Welcome desk can be found immediately to the right as you walk into the entrance area. There are two bright lights above the desk.
The Visitor Services Team are always on hand to ensure you have a pleasant visit and deal with any questions or enquiries.
Sometimes however, during busier periods, you may have to wait for assistance. Bag searches are sometimes undertaken for security reasons but we try to do this as quickly and discreetly as possible.
The Visitor Services Team are always on hand to ensure you have a pleasant visit and deal with any questions or enquiries.
Sometimes however, during busier periods, you may have to wait for assistance. Bag searches are sometimes undertaken for security reasons but we try to do this as quickly and discreetly as possible.
The entrance hallway and main café area are tiled so this area can become very noisy during busy periods.
During term time this tends to be between 12.00 and 14.00 but is less so outside of these hours and during the weekends/holidays. The Welcome Area is well lit and due to the location of the café, the aroma of different foods on offer can permeate. The Café area has more ambient lighting.
There are toilets to the left hand side of the Welcome desk, through the archway. One of the toilets is fully accessible. There are warm air hand dryers within the toilets as well as baby changing facilities.
Ground Floor
The Ground Floor is home to the VG&M Welcome Desk, Waterhouse Café, VG&M Gift Shop, toilets and locker facilities. A colourful map is available from our welcome desk and will provide an updated list of exhibitions in each of the spaces.
Shop
The shop is small and the layout of the building makes it an unusual shape. Whilst we try to make the shop as accessible as possible for all of our visitors, please let us know if you require any assistance.
Lockers
These are available behind the Welcome desk, through the archway and opposite the ground floor toilets. The lockers are free and require you to take the key with you until you collect your belongings after your visit.
Café
The café area is located on the ground floor in the tiled central hall. The café is generally open from 9:00 but this may vary. Any changes to opening times or closures will always be advertised on our social media pages and website so please check before a visit. The café becomes very busy on weekdays between 12:00 and 14:00 during term time. It is quieter before 12:00 and after 14:00 and on a Saturday.
Access to the galleries and museum is to the left of the Welcome Desk, past the café hatch where stairs can be reached on the left hand side.
The stairs are fairly wide and accommodating but are tiled so noise can echo. There are also items from our collection placed at different levels, which include large sculptures and animal skeletons from our zoological collection.
There is also a lift with glass doors, which can take you to the gallery, museum and lecture theatre areas. The lift can be found just after the staircase in the left hand corner of the café area.
First floor
The first floor is home to our galleries and they are numbered from 1 to 8 on our visitor map. A colourful map is available from our welcome desk and will provide an updated list of exhibitions in each of the spaces.
Quiet Area
There is a quieter area available through the double red doors at the end of the Red Wall along the balcony. There is a small sofa and reading material available for visitors who wish to take time out of the busier areas.
Balcony/Red Wall area
The balcony overlooks the café so can get quite noisy, particularly between the hours of 12.00 and 14.00. The smell of cooking can also permeate.
Gallery One
A right turn at the top of the stairway leads you along the balcony to Gallery One, which houses large wooden and glass cabinets which are used to display objects.
The room is quite light and has three decorative tiled pillars. Gallery One can, at times, get a little crowded if a large party of people arrives, due to the size of the cabinets.
The room is quite light and has three decorative tiled pillars. Gallery One can, at times, get a little crowded if a large party of people arrives, due to the size of the cabinets.
Gallery Two
Gallery Two is also quite light in feel and has a decorative wooden fireplace carved with animals.
A glass doorway then takes you through to the remaining galleries, all housed along one corridor. There are two small leather chairs available to visitors outside the lift area.
The corridor area through the glass doors has reduced light levels. This area has long cased clocks which intermittently chime. This area is air-conditioned.
Gallery Three
This is a small gallery which has items from the University of Liverpool’s Special Collections, which traces the history of the building. Light levels are reduced to protect the objects on display from light damage.
Gallery Four
This is a small gallery, which may have reduced light levels, depending on the objects on display when you visit.
Gallery Five
This is a slightly larger gallery, which has large cabinets down the centre of the room. This gallery is painted in a dark green colour and may have reduced light levels.
Gallery Six
This is a more spacious gallery that is generally lighter in feel.
Gallery Seven
A smaller gallery space often used as an annex to Gallery 6. Light levels can be low.
Gallery Eight
This gallery houses the John James Audubon exhibition. These works contain images of birds and animals, which some visitors may find distressing. There is also some taxidermy on display.
There is a short animation with audio and music in this gallery, which requires light levels to be low. There is a large print transcript of the audio on gallery.
Second Floor
The second floor is home to our museum and the Leggate Lecture Theatre. A colourful map is available from our welcome desk and will provide an updated list of exhibitions in the museum area highlighted in orange.
Leggate Lecture Theatre
If using the stairs, turn right at the top and walk through the glass doors. If using the lift, press button L2. Turn right out of the lift then a left around the corner to the glass doors. Once through the glass doors turn immediately right and the Leggate Lecture Theatre is straight ahead.
The Leggate Theatre is the original lecture theatre for the Victoria Building. The seating is in steep tiered rows and the steps can be narrow for some visitors so please do take care in this area. Light levels can be low during a performance but staff will be on hand to help if you need them.
Museum
The Museum can be reached by walking straight ahead if coming up the stairs. If using the lift, press button U2. The landing area just before the museum doors contains taxidermy items from our zoological collection and is dimly lit.
The museum houses items from the University of Liverpool’s collections and for conservation purposes, the lighting levels are low.
The items on display include items and equipment from the Dentistry department as well as zoological specimens in jars, which some visitors may find upsetting.
The museum, dependent upon the current exhibition, may also have audio content. We will endeavour to include notice of this in any exhibition information and on our website.
The museum is used on a regular basis for Family Craft Workshops, these take place between 13:00 and 16:00 pm on the last Saturday of the Month and on Thursdays during school holidays. Please refer to our website, Twitter and Facebook accounts for more information.
School visits can also take place in the museum, please contact us directly for further information.
Toilets
There is an accessible toilet on every floor. These are painted in dark blue with white fittings to improve visibility for visitors with visual impairments.
Additional information
- Fire Alarms
A fire alarm test takes place every Friday morning at 09.00 am. Staff will inform any visitors to the café area that this is about to take place. Any alarms outside of this time are not generally a drill and visitors will be directed by the Visitor Services Team to evacuate the building.
- Visitor Services Team
The Visitor Services Team are here to help you enjoy your visit and get the most from our exhibitions in the galleries and museum. They wear a bright blue uniform so you can spot them easily. Sometimes they have to check your bag when you arrive but they will try to do it as quickly as possible. If you have any problems or questions during your visit, the Visitor Services Team will be able to help you.
- Assistance Dogs
Assistance dogs are welcome at the Victoria Gallery and Museum. Please let us know if they require a drink of water, we will be happy to provide this.
- Large Print/Audio Guides
We try to ensure that all of the guides to our exhibitions in the galleries and museum are available in both large print and audio format.
Things you can borrow - Ear defenders, mini torches and coloured page overlays are available to borrow from reception if you would like to borrow them.
- Seating
There are lots of chairs and benches available throughout the building for visitors to use. Those that cannot be used will be roped off or have signs near them. There are also small, black folding stools which can be carried around the building. They are available besides the main door inside the museum.
