Welcome

Welcome to Kettle’s Yard. We want to help everyone to enjoy visiting Kettle’s Yard. We are always looking at ways to make improve access and we value your feedback on your visit.

On this page you will find some information to help you plan your visit. Please do get in touch if you have any further queries or requirements.

You can get in touch with us by email, mail@kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk or phone 01223 748100. If you want to get in touch with an individual staff member you can find our contact details here.

At a glance

• The galleries, entrance area and education wing are all fully wheelchair accessible.
• Around three-quarters of the House is not accessible to wheelchair users. Please see below for further information on visiting the House.
• The Café has limited access. Please see below for details.
• Assistance and service dogs are always welcome at Kettle’s Yard.
• We have hearing loops fitted at the information desk and in event spaces.
• There is no parking at Kettle’s Yard. Please see below for information on the nearest parking and for information about public transport and local taxi companies.

Getting to Kettle’s Yard

There is full information about getting to Kettle’s Yard on the getting here page of our website, here.

Cambridge Train Station has level access. To book assisted travel ring 0800 0282878. Some taxis with wheelchair access stop at the station. Most of the Citi buses that go from the station and elsewhere in Cambridge to near Kettle’s  Yard are accessible for wheelchair users. They have ramps and a kneeling action, and do not need to be booked in advance. However, please be aware that there is only one wheelchair space per bus, and that some of the older buses used on longer routes are not accessible for wheelchair users. All buses have priority seats at the front for elderly or disabled people. The company does not guarantee that an accessible bus will be used.

Almost all buses used on the park and ride routes are low floor easy access buses. They do not have to be booked in advance. However, please note that there is only one wheelchair space per bus, and that the company do not guarantee that an accessible bus will be used.

Taxis can drop you off on Northampton Street, a short walk around the corner on to Castle Street takes you to Kettle’s Yard. About a third of the Hackney cabs in Cambridge are wheelchair accessible. The following taxi services in Cambridge can provide wheelchair accessible taxis if booked in advance: A1 Cabco Taxis: 01223 313131, Diamond: 01223 523523, Panther: 01223 715715.

A Cambridge City Council-sponsored Taxicard service operates in the city to provide registered disabled and sensory impaired residents with subsidised transport using taxis, see the website for more information.

Cambridge Dial-a-Ride is a charitable organisation which provides transport for groups and individuals who otherwise have difficulty accessing public transport. It offers this service around the entire city of Cambridge and from neighbouring villages.

For more information see their website or contact them, tel: 01223 506335,  email: camdar05@hotmail.co.uk

You can walk to Kettle’s Yard, however, please be aware that some of the nearby streets, particularly Magdalene Street, which you would walk down to get here from the centre of town, are quite narrow and a little uneven in places.

Entrances

There is level access from Castle Street. From Northampton Street there is stepped access to Kettle’s Yard. There are automatic doors at the entrance to Kettle’s Yard.

Parking

All on street pay and display parking is free to Blue Badge users, the nearest pay and display is on Pound Hill, 2 minutes walk away. There is level access to Kettle’s Yard from Pound Hill to the Castle Street entrance, but it is quite a narrow pavement and steep in parts. Kettle’s Yard does not have any of its own parking.

The House

Unfortunately, around three-quarters of the House is not accessible for wheelchair users. The upper part of the ground floor extension area of the House is accessible for wheelchair users, and if you call in advance or ask at the information desk when you arrive we can arrange to put a ramp out so that the whole of the downstairs extension area is accessible. We regret that the rest of the House is not possible to access in a wheelchair due to the historic nature of the building. There is no lift in the House.

There is a virtual tour of the House online here. You can also look at the virtual tour on an iPad when you arrive, please ask at the information desk. Most of the artworks in the permanent collection can be viewed online here.

There are several sets of stairs in the House, including a spiral staircase. Please let a Visitor Assistant know if you would prefer not to use the spiral staircase and we can provide an alternative route around the House.

Kettle’s Yard welcomes assistance and service dogs in the House.

The galleries, entrance area and education wing

The galleries, where exhibitions are shown, and all areas of the education wing are fully accessible. There is a lift giving access to all floors in the Education Wing located past the galleries, just beside the Clore Learning Studio on the ground floor.

We have wheelchair accessible toilets on the lower ground, ground and first floor.

Hearing loops are fitted at the information desk and in event spaces.

We provide visual description tours for most exhibitions for partially sighted people and their friends – email learning@kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk to find out more.  We can provide large print versions of texts in the exhibitions, please ask at the information desk, call or email us to request this. We also have magnifying glasses available from the information desk.

Kettle’s Yard welcomes assistance and service dogs in all areas, including the galleries, shop and café.

We can lend visitors small folding seats for taking around exhibitions or using at non-seated events. Please ask a Visitor Assistant for help finding a seat. There are plenty of seats that you can sit on in the House.

At the bottom of this page are some photos of the new spaces at Kettle’s Yard.

The Café

The whole of the café, which is a conversion of some of the original parts of Kettle’s Yard, not part of the new development, is not fully accessible to wheelchair users. The lower area of the café, next to the entrance area, and the outdoor seating is accessible for wheelchair users. As this space is limited, wheelchair users and their party can reserve spaces at these tables. Priority is given to visitors in wheelchairs for these seats at all times, so if you have not been able to book, you should still be able to get a seat. The counter is up some steps. Café staff are trained to look out for visitors in wheelchairs in the lower area and there is also a bell that you can use, to alert staff to come and assist you and take your order.  Call ahead, email or visit the information desk to book. The café email is gardenkitchenky@gmail.com alternatively call 01223 748100. Please check with a member of café staff if you have any particular dietary needs.

Events

Wheelchair users and their carers can reserve spaces at seated events at Kettle’s Yard, including concerts and lectures. Please get in touch if you would like to reserve a space on +44 (0) 1223 748100, mail@kettlesyard.cam.ac.uk.

Facilities Nearby

The nearest Changing Places toilet facilities can be found in the Grand Arcade Car Park, approximately a 12 minute walk from Kettle’s Yard.

There are public toilets in the Grand Arcade Shopping Centre, as well as two accessible toilets, a parent & child toilet, baby changing room and baby feeding room.

You can also find public toilets and an accessible toilet in the Lion Yard Shopping Centre, an 11 minute walk from Kettle’s Yard.