I’ve been to two pub/restaurants recently that according to their staff were accessible. They were, to a certain extent but there’s always something they omit to tell you and it’s not because they’re forgetful it’s just that unless you’ve ‘walked a mile in my shoes’ (not a good metaphor when you’re in a wheelchair) you’re not going to know the difference between a small step and an insurmountable obstacle.
So what was the problem?…
The Princess Victoria in Uxbridge Road, West London is an old Victorian pub that’s transformed it’s back room into a beautiful dining room. High ceilings, plenty of room and interesting art on the walls. The food is way too good to be pub food and there is a disabled toilet. The journey to the dining room is through the crowded bar and it’s all flat with parquet flooring/floorboards and there’s a lot of tables and chairs to manoeuvre around. It’s lively but you can still hear each other speak. We had a great lunch there and loved the quails eggs with celery salt to start followed by some cod in a beautifully light sauce/broth with samphire. However, getting into the pub is a problem as there’s a large step (well it was for me), at the front and a heavy door with a lip to negotiate. A ramp would help and there’s plenty of room for one. I’m also not sure if you could enter through the Herb Garden at the rear which may be an easier approach but as it wasn’t mentioned in the usual pre-visit phone call, so I assume not. Despite the one problem they still get 2.5 BBS Ticks.
The next place was The Tommy Tucker in Fulham. A very chilled bar at lunchtime with good music and food but a huge and shallow step at the entrance. So getting in was a bit hairy for my helpful taxi driver.
Another issue was the disabled toilet that qualifies as a ‘Ludicrous Lo0′ (click here for a definition) – oh yes, it doubles as a storage cupboard. Embarassing when you have to ask them to make room before you ‘go’. None of this was described when I asked about access but none of the inconvenience diminished what was a lovely lunch. They only get 2 BBS Ticks as it’s worth a visit if you don’t mind sharing the Loo ………..
So what’s to be learnt – Inform staff of accessibility issues and get a BBS PAD, Pictorial Access Description. They really do help, both guests and staff.
