Midlands
IN AND AROUND STAFFORD WITH A WHEELCHAIR
Stafford Town Centre
Please note these pages are currently being updated and we strongly advise you to check with most of the accommodation and attraction providers included for more current information.
N.B.The information about the Italian Gardens, Shopping Village and Monkey Forest at Trentham has now been updated.
Stafford is the county town of Staffordshire and is a busy thriving market town. Most of the town centre is level and there is good access to a large proportion of the shops. To find out more about the history of the town, you can pick up a heritage walk leaflet from The Tourist Information Centre. The trail is possible to negotiate with a wheelchair and it starts outside The High House in Greengate Street (N.B. The interior of this is not wheelchair accessible).
For information about accessible accommodation in the area and Alton Towers Theme Park please scroll down to the bottom of the page and for a wider accommodation search for other areas of the Midlands and the UK click here.
Church Lane Stafford part of the Heritage Trail
No 2 on the Heritage Trail is St. Mary's, the parish church of Stafford. People have worshipped here for at least twelve hundred years. First in the open air around a wooden cross that you can see outside, then in a wooden church, then in a small stone church in about 1000 AD. The present building is eight hundred years old. There is a ramp to allow access into the church and if this is not in place please ask the warden on duty. It is possible to view the church between 10 am and 3 pm each day.
St Mary's Church
No 10 on the town trail is Victoria Park which was opened in 1908 and from here there are pleasant walks along the river. The town is noted for its floral displays and the park is a good example of these. There is a disabled toilet in the park grounds operated by Radar Key.
Victoria Park
In the market square is The Shire Hall Gallery formerly The Crown Court which hosts a wide variety of exhibitions throughout the year. There is ramped access to the entrance but only limited access for wheelchairs to the court room. There is a disabled toilet and a wheelchair lift to access the cafe.
The Shire Hall Art Gallery
There are a variety of places to see within a short distance of Stafford. If you take the A 518 Uttoxeter Road for about six miles you will come to Amerton Farm and Craft Centre.
The Courtyard at Amerton Farm
There are a variety of things to see at Amerton including craft shops, a small selection of farm animals, a garden centre and a wildlife rescue centre. There is a tearoom/restaurant on site and a disabled toilet. Access throughout the site is good.
The wisteria clad servants quarters at Shugborough
Shugborough, home of The Earl of Lichfield is at Milford about six miles from Stafford on the A513 Rugeley Road at Milford. Not all of the site is accessible to wheelchairs but there is a concession entrance fee and if you have an attendant they go in free of charge. The County Museum has exhibitions housed here showing amongst other things several old shops. The main house has a stair climber to negotiate the front steps, it is necessary to be able to transfer to their wheelchair to use this facility. Once inside it is possible to see all of the ground floor except the library. There is a tearoom, a shop and a good sized disabled toilet in the courtyard. The grounds and gardens have some wheelchair friendly paths. Parking for disabled visitors is free and there is a land train that takes you from the car park to the estate farm. On the day we visited this was in for maintenance but we understand there is a carriage adapted for wheelchairs and access is via a ramp. The farm has its own parking area on the exit road if needed. You can access most of the buildings at the farm including the dairy and part of the mill. There is a tearoom here as well, that serves light snacks and there is a disabled toilet. Despite not being able to see everything at Shugborough there is still plenty that you can see and do for an interesting day out.
The Boardwalk at The Wolseley Centre
If you take the A513 from Shugborough towards Rugeley where it meets the A51 The Wolseley Centre is signposted off of the roundabout. It is run by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and is set in the grounds of a medieval manor house that was home to the Wolseley family from Saxon times. There are a series of paths and a boardwalk that meander around several lakes and a pond, they have excellent surfaces for wheelchairs and there is access to a good proportion of the site. There is an abundance of wildlife on the site including otters. A pathway runs from the centre to the adjacent Wyevale garden centre where there is a cafe serving meals and light snacks. There is a disabled toilet at Wolseley and the garden centre.
Cannock Chase disabled access trail
Cannock Chase is one of the largest country parks in England and has a mixture of heath land and forest with wild deer. There is a visitor centre in Marquis Drive with a small exhibition, a cafe and a Radar key operated disabled toilet. There are scooters available from here, free of charge with proof of identity, that can be used on a special scooter trail. In the nearby Camp Field car park there is the start of a trail designed for the disabled. The trail has deteriorated in places and has several long inclines therefore it is advisable to have a strong pusher with you. It does give you access to the local countryside and it has a viewing platform so it is worth the effort.
The Museum of Cannock Chase
The museum is situated at Hednesford on the site of the old colliery and there is free parking. Access to the galleries is via a lift to the first floor. It gives a very interesting insight into the colliery workings and the lives of the miners. There is a small shop, a snack bar, a ground floor art gallery and a disabled toilet.
A family group in spring at Monkey Forest
Trentham is about 12 miles north of Stafford on the A34 on the outskirts of Stoke on Trent. It offers a wide variety of things to do, including the recently refurbished Italian Gardens, a large garden centre, a Shopping Village, the extensive parklands with a lakeside walk, a boat trip and the Monkey Forest. A big effort has been made to make the majority of this wheelchair friendly including the boat and there are plenty of designated toilets and all the shops and cafes/restaurants are accessible. There is so much to see and do here you will need to allow a whole day to cover it all. For more detailed accessibility information and a link their own website please click on the links above.
To download an 'easy read' version of forthcoming events at Trentham please click here.
A view across the lake in the Italian Gardens
Also in Staffordshire approximately 20 miles from Stafford is Alton Towers Theme Park and the adjacent Splash Landings Hotel where it is possible to get combined bookings for accommodation and entry into the park.
Our researchers entering into the Haunted Hollow.
This proved a fun day out and our researchers had a great time. You can download their more detailed reports for both the theme park and the hotel here.
It is advisable to check out the special rates and seasonable offers available on Alton Towers website. If you would like a copy of their disabled access leaflet beforehand you can download it from their website in pdf but it prints out extremely small so it might be advisable to ask for a copy to be mailed.
The en-suite wheel-in shower in an accessible room at the Splash Landings hotel.
For other places to stay in the area there are two that we have visited firstly Express by Holiday Inn close to junction 13 of the M6 and The Moat House at Acton Trussell off of the A449 about three miles from Stafford. Both of these establishments have wheel-in showers.
Set in the heart of England, Stafford and the surrounding countryside offer a good variety of places to visit with plenty to see and do.