Owl Barn- Access Statement

Owl Barn is an old stone-built agricultural building dating from c. 1822 and the sunken position of the barn and internal and external changes of level make it impractical for wheelchair use as it is not suitable for conversion.

Parking – for Owl Barn is on a wide gravelled car park. Leading down from the car park there is a set of 14 steps made from railway sleepers. These are 180mm high, 300mm deep and 2060mm wide. There is a hand rail on either side at a height of 1100mm. The sleepers are covered with chicken wire to ensure a non-slip surface in wet or icy weather.  At the bottom of the steps there is a gravelled concrete path running through a grassed area for approximately 10 metres to 3 more sleeper steps which lead down to the timber deck. The width of the timber deck to the front door is 2.8 metres.

Front Entrance – the front door is 800mm wide.  Over the threshold is a 500mm wide matwell, then a small 90mm step to a second matwell in entrance.  The flooring on the entrance and upper levels and on the internal stairs is solid oak.

Kitchen – the kitchen has most appliances and storage located under or on the worktop, with the exception of crockery kept in wall-mounted cupboards above.  The work surfaces, ceramic hob and sink rim are all at 940mm. The oven and microwave are housed one above the other in a tall purpose-built unit, with the oven door handle 1000mm above floor level and the microwave door release 1300mm above floor level. There is no space under the units for wheelchair users. The solid beech dining table is circular with a central pedestal. The height of the table top is 780mm and the dining chair seats are 480mm above floor level.

Bedroom 1 – this bedroom is situated on the entry level, to the right of the front door as you come into the barn.  The door is 760mm wide. The mattress height is 480mm above the floor level. The bedroom has an ensuite shower room with a door width of 760mm.  The toilet seat is 440mm above floor level, with a lever flush. The basin rim is 860mm above floor level. The shower threshold is 140mm.

Stairs up – the staircase is centrally positioned within the barn, level with the front door. The stairs are covered in solid oak. The stairs up to the living area are accessed at the back of the building (using the front door as the front). There are 4 steps up to a quarter-turn landing, then 8 steps up to the top level.  All steps are 200mm high, 240mm deep and 800mm wide. There is a handrail on both sides on the bottom 4 stairs, and on the right hand side on the upper stairs (the wall is on the left hand side).

Sitting room – this level has one three-seater leather sofa,  one two-seater leather sofas, and two leather armchairs with rigid arms, all of which have a seat height of 420mm. There are also two leather footstools which have a seat height of  380mm.

Stairs down – from the entry level there are 12 solid oak steps down to the lower level, where the other 2 bedrooms are.  The steps are  200mm high, 240mm deep and 800mm wide.  There is a handrail.

Bedroom 2 – the door width into bedroom 2 is 760mm. The room has ziplock beds which can be set up either as twin beds or as a superking double.  The bed height is 580mm. There is a door 760mm wide into the ensuite shower room, where there is a toilet with a 440mm high seat and lever flush. The wash basin lip is 860mm above floor height. There is a small step into the shower area which is 50mm high.  There is no grab rail in the shower.

Bedroom 3 – the door width into bedroom 3 is 760mm. This room also has ziplock beds which can be set up either as twin beds or as a superking double. The bed height is 580mm. There is a door 760mm wide into the ensuite bathroom, where there is a toilet with a 440mm high seat and lever flush. The wash basin lip is 860mm above floor height. There is a corner bath at the far end of the bathroom. The lip of the bath is 560mm above floor level.

On the lower level, between bedrooms 2 and 3, there is an external door 830mm wide leading out to the garden.

Garden – the garden has a combination of grass, decking and paved terrace area.  There is a set of 10 timber steps leading down the side of the barn from the decking at entry level to the terrace and barbeque area.  The steps are 220mm high, 310mm deep and 660mm wide, with a hand rail on the left hand side (on the right hand side is a stone bank).  At the bottom level, there is a gravel path running around the building.  Across the path there is a lawn area which is accessed up 7 steps which are 300mm deep, 150mm high and 900mm wide.

Equipment – a number of Items can be provided on request, including hypoallergenic bedding, an induction/ hearing loop, footstools, medication fridge and shower chair – for full details please see the Accessibility page.