Accessibility

The Museum has worked closely with disability charity Living Options Devon, through its Heritage Ability initiative, to produce a Visual Guide to Torquay Museum. The Guide provides further information for visitors with disabilities about the facilities offered by the Museum designed to make their visit easier and more enjoyable. This Visual Guide is part of a suite prepared for the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark and funded by Torbay Council’s Voluntary and Community Sector Covid 19 Grants Scheme as part of the Geopark Covid Transformation Project 2020.

If you require a guide to assist you when visiting, please book in advance by contacting the museum on 01803 293975 or email [email protected].

Registered Disability Support Dogs, registered Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, registered Guide Dogs for the Blind, registered Disability Assistance Dogs, registered Medical Assistance Dogs and registered Seizure Alert Dogs are all welcome.

All of the museum galleries and lecture rooms are fully accessible for wheelchair users. Access to the ground floor is by ramp, while a lift and stair lift will take you to the galleries. View the location of lifts and galleries on the floorplan. There are stairs to all floors with no steep gradients.

We have one parking space on our forecourt available for disabled visitors to the Museum.

Please telephone the museum in advance to reserve this space, on 01803 293975. Additional parking is available in the Terrace car park, situated approximately 45 metres uphill from the museum with a gradient of 1:7. There is also limited parking opposite the museum for a 2 hour period (Blue Badge users are permitted to use these bays for free for an unlimited period of time).

There are accessible toilets on both the ground floor and Level 1. Our accessible toilets also include baby-changing facilities.

Seating is available in selected galleries. If you need additional seating to be made available in the galleries, please ask at the Reception Desk.

An Induction Loop is available in Pengelly Hall for visitors attending our Society lecture programme. Please ask at reception if you wish to make use of this service. To use please switch your hearing aid to ‘T’.

In the new explorers gallery the soundtrack for the "Introduction to Explorers" is also available as a written script.

If you would like to book a signed gallery talk, please contact the Museum on 01803 293975.

The Time Ark Gallery of Natural History has many items that can be handled, including tactile birds, fossils and a lion skin. Certain items in this gallery also have Braille labels. The Old Devon Farmhouse has many items that can be handled, including a human yoke, domestic utensils and cream pan. The rooms also have a soundtrack to recreate the atmosphere of farm life and on occasion the Farmhouse gallery also has storytellers. Our Explorers Gallery has a number of objects for handling, including the reconstruction of Psamtek, the little boy entombed in the Egyptian coffin. All the handling objects in this gallery are accompanied by Braille labels. There are a number of audio recordings.

Please contact the museum if you who like to book a specific handling session and to find out about any forthcoming special events.

If you would like a large print copy of our Museum plan, please ask at Reception or telephone 01803 293975.

Torquay museum can provide a great experience for visitors with learning disabilities or special educational needs. By prior arrangement we can provide accompanied visits with a museum volunteer, educational sessions and tailored handling sessions for people with learning disabilities of all ages. To find out more about our services for groups click here. The Education Officer can liaise with group leaders to arrange suitable sessions for your visit. Please telephone 01803 293975 for further details or visit or LEARNING pages to find out more about the educational sessions we can provide.

We recommend that, if possible, you visit the Museum on your own in advance of your visit .

Plan a route around the Museum that best meets your child’s needs. Download our Pre-visit booklet to help you prepare for your visit in advance.

Torquay Museum is open Monday-Saturday from 10-4.

During the Summer from May -September we are open on Sunday 10-4 .

Quieter times to visit are 14.30-15.30 on weekdays.

Yes, please pre-book your visit via Art Tickets here. The quietist times to visit are weekdays 14.30-15.30 and Weekends 10.00-11.00. If you would like to reserve one of our Sensory backpacks, or have any questions about your visit , please contact our Reception team on : 01803 293975.

Yes, there are a range of activities available to enjoy during your visit.

Sensory backpacks can be borrowed from the Museum Reception. The backpacks contain sensory toys, ear defenders, PECS communication fans and a visual guide. They are free to use but we ask for a £10 refundable deposit to borrow them.

We also run regular gallery tours, handling sessions and storytelling activities.

Sometimes the Museum will be noisy and crowded, especially during our Summer exhibition and on weekdays if we have school workshops going on. After 14.30 the Museum is quieter .

We have Quiet hours once a month on Wednesday from 9-10 when families can explore in a relaxed atmosphere away from crowds.

Yes, if at any time your child finds the visit overwhelming, we have spaces outside the galleries. Just contact a member of staff.