Parking
Parking for disabled badge holders is available on King St, and occasionally at the rear of the building. Please contact us in advance if you would like to request a space in our rear car park, as spaces are limited.
General parking for visitors is not available on site. The nearest public car parks are Rouen Road, NR1 1QU (two minutes’ walk) and Rose Lane, NR1 1PY (five minutes’ walk).
Access into the building
If you have access needs and are attending an event in any of our north side rooms (Great Hall, Weston Hall, Foyle Gallery, Wolfson Room, Geoffrey Watling Room) for ease of access please come to our St Ann Lane Ramp Entrance. This can be accessed by turning right from King St onto St Ann Lane. On arrival at our ramp entrance, call the videophone and you will be met by a member of staff.
If you have access needs and are attending an event in any of our south side rooms (Norwich Freemen’s Room, Staff office, Staffroom, Reception, Foyle Gallery) for ease of access please come to our Old Barge Yard sliding door. On arrival at our sliding entrance, call the videophone and you will be met by a member of staff.
If you would like further information regarding any aspect of the building, or to discuss your access needs with a member of staff, please do contact us on 01603 877177 or by emailing info@nationalcentreforwriting.org.uk.
Access around the building
Dragon Hall is largely wheelchair accessible and is equipped with two raising platform lifts providing access at all levels on both sides of the building. The lift dimensions are:
Platform size: 1100 x 1400mm
Door clearance: 900mm
The only spaces not wheelchair accessible are our Undercroft Crypt and Cellar spaces, and our Coetzee meeting room.
There are disabled access toilets located on the second floor north side (by the Great Hall), the first floor north side (by the St Ann’s Lane entrance) as well as on the south side (by the sliding door entrance.)
Dragon Hall is equipped with hearing loop facilities in the Great Hall, the Norwich Freemen’s Education room and at the reception desk. Please contact us to determine if the event you are attending will be using amplification for this facility.
Dragon Hall lighting is mostly dimmable, and not fluorescent. Therefore, if you have a sensitivity to fluorescent or strobing lights, please do contact the Operations team who will be able to advise you of the lighting in the space you will be in.
Breakdown of terrain in Dragon Hall
Great Hall and Weston Hall
- The Great and Weston halls have smooth, stable, undulating wooden floors.
- The Great Hall stage has ramp capabilities.
- The space is well lit by overhead LED lights.
Foyle Gallery
- The Foyle Gallery has stable tiled floor, that slopes towards the south side.
- The Foyle Gallery features an accessible double door exit into the Garden.
- The space is well lit by overhead LED lights.
Garden
- The Garden has an even, gravelled pathway leading from the gates to the double doors into the Foyle Gallery.
- The Garden also has a small lawn and a medieval-style knot garden.
- This space does not have specific outside lighting.
Wolfson Room
- The Wolfson Room has a stable, tiled floor and an accessible door entrance.
- The space is well lit by overhead LED lights.
Coetzee Room
- The Coetzee Room can only be accessed via Wolfson or Smith rooms, and features a single step up or down. The floor is wood and stable.
Smith Room
- The Smith Room can be either accessed through the Wolfson and Coetzee rooms with 2 steps down, or straight from King Street (with a member of staff) through a ground floor accessible door. This door is not wide enough for mechanised chairs, but is suitable for smaller chair access. The room has a stable waxed wooden floor.
- The space is well lit by overhead LED lights.
Geoffrey Watling Room
- The Geoffrey Watling Room stable waxed wooden floor and an accessible door entrance.
- The space is well lit by overhead fluorescent lights.
Norwich Freemen’s Education Room
- The Norwich Freemen’s Education Room has stabled carpeted floor, with an accessible door entrance from Old Barge Yard sliding door, as well as an accessible entrance onto the garden patio.
- The space is well lit by overhead LED lights.
Reception
- The Reception space can be accessed by two steps, or using our south wing lift.
- The Reception floor is pamment tiled and is stable. Doors through this space are wheelchair accessible.
- The space is well lit by overhead LED lights.
Corridors
- All of the corridors in Dragon Hall are either waxed wood or tile, and are stable and smooth.
- The space is well lit by overhead LED lights.
Quiet spaces
If you would like a quiet space during your visit to Dragon Hall, please speak to a member of staff and we will find a suitable room for you.