Little Moreton Hall: Accessibility Review.

Aug 15

6 min read

Updated: Aug 18

Little Moreton Hall is a moated Tudor manor just outside of Congleton in Cheshire. Built by the Moreton family over the course of over a hundred years, from 1504 to 1610, the additions to the building by successive generations are believed to be the reason for the famous crookedness that the building is now known for. However, Little Moreton Hall also has a past that will interest those with interests in the supernatural. It is known particularly for two ghosts, that of a Grey Lady who moves quietly through the Long Gallery and a child whose sobs can be heard in and around the chapel. There are also 250 apotropaic burn marks, carved daisy wheels and even concealed shows reflecting Tudor and later superstitions. Little Moreton Hall is now managed by the National Trust.

🎟️ Booking.

There is no pre-booking or online purchasing available for Little Moreton Hall. Entry is free for members otherwise prices start at £16 for adults and £8 for children*. Carer/companion tickets are available when purchasing a ticket but you may be asked for proof that one is required so we'd recommend taking a copy of a PIP letter or access card if you have one. Alternatively anyone who is disabled or requires a carer/companion apply for a free Companion card which are valid for a year and will save such checks in future.

*The National Trust is part of the 'Great British Summer Savings' scheme and so the prices advertised here, may be higher than when bought on site on the day due to the temporary reduction of VAT from 20% to 5%.

ℹ️ Accessibility Information Availability.

The information available online isn't as comprehensive as it is for other National Trust sites but there is some very basic information available. They do link to their AccessAble page if you wish to use that (we have spoken previously about how we don't find AccessAble to be particularly user friendly in the past and that we feel it seems more designed for the businesses rather than the customers).

🚗 Parking.

Parking is free for all visitors. There are six designated blue badge spaces approximately 15 metres from the entrance. There are no EV chargers on the site. The carpark is tarmacked but there are twigs and sticks on the ground from the trees.

🩼 Mobility.

All of the carpark, entrance and shop are wheelchair accessible. The ground floor of the hall itself is wheelchair accessible however due to the older door sizes being smaller, only aids with a maximum width of 50cm can enter and go beyond the Great Hall. Manual wheelchairs are available to borrow that would be able to fit through the smaller doors. These are available from both the shop and the Great Hall itself. Powered mobility vehicles such as scooters are not permitted in Mrs Dale's Tea Room. The walk from the entrance to the bridge across the moat is relatively even with a mixture of tarmac, fine compacted gravel and grass. The bridge and inner courtyard of the hall is cobbled and fairly uneven. Inside the hall is a mixture of smooth stone slabs, carpet and wooden floors. Following the obvious route through the ground floor the 'entrance' is level to the courtyard but there would be a step down from the 'exit', however it would be no issue to travel back through to exit how you left. The chapel has two steps to enter.

The upper two floors are only accessible via an uneven spiral staircase which follows a one way system to leave which is no small distance. Each floor you go up gets considerably more uneven and wonky. The gallery has very uneven floors, walls and ceiling and could be quite difficult to navigate if you have difficulties with balance. In total there are 18 steps to reach the first floor and a further 20 steps to reach the gallery on the upper floor with a hand rail on the right hand side. There is a split in the staircase at the first floor as there are rooms to see on either side. This seemed to be a point of heavy traffic and required some waiting to be able to move on. There are chairs throughout to rest on, but this is a challenging area of the site for those who are ambulatory and are able to use walking sticks.

The cafe and gardens are all on a single level and so are accessible to those with mobility aides. The walk from the shop to the courtyard of the hall is approximately 120m.

The manual wheelchair available to borrow from the shop.

There are photo books to provide a visual guide to the upper floors for those who are unable to access it themselves.

🎧 Sensory.

There are sensory items to borrow for free including headphones and fidget toys. The staircases are quite small and the whole building has uneven floors, ceilings and walls may impact some people with sensory needs. Some rooms are fairly dark.

An example of the sensory items available to borrow. In the bag are fidget toys and headphones.

Toilets.

The accessible toilet at Little Moreton Hall.

There is one accessible toilet on site and it can be found just past the entrance near the outdoor bookshop.

The facilities in the nearest Changing Places toilet.

There are no Changing Places toilets on site, the nearest one (with reliable information) is in the Hanley Market in The Potteries Centre in Stoke-on-Trent, approximately 7.6 miles away.

☕️ Food and Drink.

A plate with two cheese scones, two knives and four small packs of butter on it.

There is a small cafe serving hot and cold foods and drinks on the ground floor of the hall across the cobbled courtyard from the entrance.

There is seating inside although it is a very small room and can get busy so those with mobility aids may struggle to move freely once inside. There are benches directly outside the cafe or there are picnic tables on the lawn a few steps away. All of this has level access and we were able to enjoy some scones at a picnic table with Bob using his rollator.

🪑 Rest Opportunities.

There are benches and picnic tables dotted about the whole site. Specifically there are picnic tables on the green as you walk from the entrance to the hall, a bench outside the hall before you cross the moat and benches in the courtyard. There is also a larger picnic area on the grass to the side of the courtyard. Inside the hall there are also chairs to rest on throughout and there are benches in the chapel.

The bench across the moat from the hall.

One of the picnic tables next to the moat.

🦻 Hearing Assistance.

The sign for the Hearing Loop system in the shop.

There are hearing loops in both the shop and the cafe. There are information cards in every room that give detailed information about the rooms and objects inside them.

📖 Visual Support.

Some of the information boards found in every room.

There are no audio guides available. There are Large Print and Braille guides available. There are also volunteers and staff members available who are happy to discuss the hall and it's history with visitors.

🐕‍🦺 Assistance Dogs.

Assistance dogs are welcomed inside the house, gardens and tea rooms. Other dogs are welcome but only in outside spaces. All dogs must be kept on a harness or leads. There is a water bowl provided near the shop.

Our verdict.

Little Moreton Hall is a really interesting place with a rich history. The building itself is like something out of a fantasy book with wonky features, wall paintings and wobbly floors. Whilst it isn't completely accessible, enough of it is accessible that we feel it is still a worth while day out even if the upper floors are not accessible to you. The staff are friendly and helpful and happy to share their knowledge of the building and gardens and the food was amazing.

We both agree that even if Bob couldn't have accessed the upper floors that it would still get a 4 out of 5 from us therefore we give it 💀💀💀💀.