Venue Description

Maritime Museum explores the global impact of the port of Liverpool and how the city became a gateway to the world. Visitors can discover extraordinary stories, ranging from tales of emigration through to Liverpool's links to the Titanic. Maritime Museum is also home to the International Slavery Museum, which is based on the third floor, as well as the Maritime Archives centre.

Accessibility

We have visual stories/accessible guides written to help you understand what to expect from a visit. The guide for Maritime Museum and the International Slavery Museum, located in the same building, can be found here https://images.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/2023-01/NML%20-%20Visual%20Stories%20Maritime%20Museum%20International%20Slavery%20Museum.pdf The key points included in this guide are: GETTING HERE/ENTERING THE BUILDING - It's free to visit Maritime Museum and the International Slavery museum, and donations are welcome - You can visit the Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum by bike, car, train, bus, ferry, or walking. Our website provides more details about different ways to get here https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime-museum#section--getting-here - There are three accessible blue badge car parking spaces which are located on the left side of the road, opposite the Dr Martin Luther King Jr Building. There are four on street accessible car parking spaces via the approach road to the Royal Albert Dock. Charges apply for parking in both these areas - There are steps with handrails for support or a ramp to gain access to the museum main entrance. The ramp may be steep for some wheelchair users, cane or crutch users. There is an alternative entrance via the quayside - There are automatic doors which lead to the Information Desk. The glazing is curved but directly opens and is not a rotating door GENERAL FACILITIES/SERVICES - Guide dogs are welcome. If you plan to visit with an assistance animal other than an assistance dog, please get in touch seven days prior to your visit to discuss your request with us so we may best accommodate your visit where reasonably practicable - We have two wheelchairs available to borrow, please ask staff for more information - Lockers can be hired for £2 plus a £3 refundable deposit when you empty your locker and return the wristband. You can purchase a wristband for the lockers at the information desk. There are several lockers available at a variety of heights and sizes - There are toilets opposite the cafe and available on every level. There are gender-neutral accessible toilets available on all floors apart from the basement and ground floor, where male and female facilities are available. Baby changing facilities are located on the ground floor near the cafe - There is a Changing Places toilet on second floor operated via a RADAR key. You can get a RADAR key from the information desk if required. There is limited signage to this facility. However, it is located at the back of the Titanic Exhibition. There is a stoma shelf in this facility LOWER GROUND FLOOR/BASEMENT SEIZED! GALLERIES - In Seized! galleries you can find out about the work of Border Force officers at our ports and airports and how they stop smugglers - There is a flight of stairs in the foyer which takes you to the Seized! gallery. An alternative route is via the main lift on the ground floor - There is a selection of interactives, including steering your own ship and how to examine goods like an enforcement officer - Information is text and case based, there are images of animals and seized objects which are made from animals throughout this gallery - There is audio description available to describe the layout of the gallery. These are usually located at the start of the gallery, however if you have specific requirements do contact staff at the museum EMIGRATION GALLERY - This gallery is about emigrants to the new world and it includes life-like models of Victorian travellers - There is a selection of audio-visual stories and objects about emigration. The audio-visual stories include closed captions - There are low light levels within this area - Mannequins are placed round the gallery and include sound; some mannequins are not in sightline - There is a figure with a dog which you can hear growling - There are additional figures in darkened areas and a mock street scene which have shadows and uneven floor surfaces. This is an area which can be avoided if required FIRST FLOOR LUSITANIA: LIFE, LOSS AND LEGACY EXHIBITION - This exhibition is about the sinking of the Liverpool ship, Lusitania, during World War One - The information is visual, and text based. There are wands which give specific information about objects and historic narratives - There is recorded background music (piano music and brass band) playing in the gallery. Ear defenders and ear buds are useful to wear in this gallery - The spotlights and backlit panels can be bright; sunglasses or tinted lenses may be useful to wear in this gallery THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC AND LIFELINES GALLERY - There is text-based information regarding the Battle of Atlantic on our website here https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime-museum/battle-of-atlantic - Trigger Warning: There is a film on a large screen which shows storm at sea, which could make you feel seasick or motion sickness. There is a wide entrance to the screen to turn away. This can be seen from the lift landing area SECOND FLOOR LIFE ON BOARD GALLERY - This gallery explores the fascinating stories of Liverpool’s seafarers and passengers - There are closed captions available above the case on the Cunard White Star Line for the spoken soundtrack in the gallery and for the case about Gertrude Walker. There is a wall mounted audio description unit for the Life on Board galleries - Take care when walking through this gallery as there are multiple free standing white walls. There is a wooden bench located near the figure heads within the Life on Board collection TITANIC AND LIVERPOOL: THE UNTOLD STORY GALLERY - Information is visual and text based with backlit information panels. Sunglasses or colour tinted glasses may help if you are sensitive to light - There are text-based articles and videos (with closed captions) available on our website https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime-museum/titanic - There are sound wands and speaker audio available in the gallery. There is a wall mounted audio-description wand at the entrance to the Titanic galleries - There is a soundtrack telling the story about Titanic. The sound levels in this section of the gallery can reach the volume of a washing machine. Please note the speakers are located within the middle of the gallery near the seating area - There is strong lighting in this area towards the centre of the exhibition in the seating area. A quieter area, away from high light levels is at the back of the seating area - Trigger warning: There are some themes in the exhibition which may be upsetting for some visitors including the sound of panic, a description of a ship sinking and descriptions of people in peril THIRD FLOOR INTERNATIONAL SLAVERY MUSEUM - The International Slavery Museum is the only museum of its kind to look at aspects of historical and contemporary slavery as well as being an international hub for resources on human rights issues - There is a tactile plan of the gallery with sound wands of different languages - The corridor into the museum from the lift is wide. There are audio visual screens in this corridor with closed captions. Some have BSL (British Sign Language) - When arriving at the International Slavery Museum there is a seating point on entry. There is an enclosed seating area that provides easy access for wheelchairs located near the end of the gallery - There are sound wands available throughout the gallery, some including African music. There are pull out drawers to explore - The majority of the information provided on collections is text and visual based - There is some shadow and glare from the spotlights on collection information points, particularly within the African Objects collection. Sunglasses and tinted lenses would be useful here if you are sensitive to light - Enslavement Trigger Warning: A section of the Enslavement and the Middle Passage Legacy gallery has themes, objects, images, artworks and film footage which visitors may find triggering and upsetting. Film includes scenes of trauma and vomiting. There is an alternative access route available at this point if necessary MOVING AROUND THE MUSEUM - There are not any physical floor maps available in the museum. However, there are floor level indicators on the lifts. There are further details about the museums and a room guide on our website https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime-museum/maritimemuseum-floor-plan - There are four floors to the Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum. Please note the fourth floor is conference and events space only - There is a steel passenger lift which is 2390mm deep and 1380mm in width. The lift has two handrails and a back mirror to help with wheelchair reversing. There is visible signage for floor indication. This lift can be used by any type of wheelchair with other passengers - There are stairs at the Maritime Museum and International Slavery Museum. The stairs have handrails on either side. Visitors may hear people walking up and down the stairs. Ear defenders and ear buds are useful to wear in the ground floor area to reduce anxiety from background noise of the stairs and neighbouring galleries FIRE ALARMS If the fire alarm sounds, please follow staff instructions and ask for assistance if required. Fire alarm tests are planned, if unexpected loud noises are a concern to you, please call the museum in advance to check when the next test will take place

Accessibility Guide

Accessibility Guide Link: https://images.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/2023-01/NML%20-%20Visual%20Stories%20Maritime%20Museum%20International%20Slavery%20Museum.pdf

Toilets

There are toilets opposite the cafe and available on every level. There are gender-neutral accessible toilets available on all floors apart from the basement and ground floor, where male and female facilities are available. Baby changing facilities are located on the ground floor near the cafe There is a Changing Places toilet on second floor operated via a RADAR key. You can get a RADAR key from the information desk if required. There is limited signage to this facility. However, it is located at the back of the Titanic Exhibition. There is a stoma shelf in this facility

Staff

Information about the staff has not been added for this venue.