Overview

The Saatchi Gallery is a London gallery for contemporary art. It hosts several temporary exhibitions at any one time. It does not have permanent, fixed galleries. The building is step free throughout and has accessible toilets. Staff are extremely helpful and welcoming. However, there are a few areas where improvements would be appreciated to improve access. This is mainly signage, facilities in the accessible toilet, seating and accessibility information on the website. I went to see If Not Now, When? Generations of Women is Sculpture 1960 - 2024. I visited 3 days before it closed, so by the time this is on Euan's Guide it will be closed. However, I am also writing this as a more general access review.

Transport & Parking

The gallery is located in Duke of York Square just off King's Road. The nearest tube station is Sloane Square which does not have step free access. The nearest tube with step free access is Victoria and from Victoria there are a few buses that stop close by. I took the bus to Duke of York Square, which is the stop after Sloane Square. From there it is a short level walk to the gallery. The website says there are 2 blue badge parking spaces nearby but they must be booked in advance.

Access

ROUTE FROM KING'S ROAD TO GALLERY From the King's Road, the galley is set back from the road, in Duke of York Square. The step free route to the gallery is not clear. On approaching a wall, see photo, there were large signs saying it was the gallery. However, when I approached the archway within the wall, I found that there were 2 steps with no handrail, see photo. The step free route is just to the right of the end of the wall. Go between the wall and a white building, which is currently the restaurant Vardo. From either the step or step free route, the same wide, level path leads to the main entrance. ENTRANCE There is a porticoed main entrance, with four steps leading up to the entrance on three sides. On two of the these sides, there are handrails, and the handrails are on both the right and left hand side. For the step free entrance, you will need to walk to the far end of the portico, where there is a fixed, metal ramp with handrails. The handrails on both the right and left hand side moved slightly as I used them. The entrance door has a small ramp. I noticed a slight gap between the door and the ramp, as I did not use a wheelchair, I am unable to comment on if this is a problem. I would suggest the gallery asking wheelchair users how easy the current ramp is to use. INSIDE The entrance opens out into a spacious foyer. There is an information desk, but I am sorry I forgot to photograph this and I can't remember the height, as I did not use it. There are stairs with handrails on both sides or two adjacent lifts which provide step free access to all floors. The galleries are spaciously laid out. I attended on a group visit and there was plenty of space so the rooms are not crowded, even when busy. The floor surfaces are wooden throughout and there are no doors between galleries, so step free access is excellent. SEATING When our group arrived we were offered fold up stools. I took one but when I tried it out, it was unsuitable for me as it was small and there were no arms to help me transfer. I ended up carrying it around and using it as an extra walking aid. However, most people in our group appeared to have been fine using them. I ended up leaning against the walls. The exhibition we visit was located in four rooms. There was no seating until the third room. Then there was a single bench with no back support or arms. Three people were sitting on it and it was full. There was nowhere for me to sit. The fourth room there was a video and there were more bench seating here, again with no back support or arms. I did not visit the other galleries so I can't comment, but when I walked past they appeared to have the same open plan design and I did not notice any permanent seating. Personally I found the lack of seating a significant problem. Not being able to have a safe and comfortable seat lead to an increase in my lower back and knee pain. By the end of the tour, the level of pain was detracting a bit from my enjoyment of the exhibition. LEARNING STUDIO At the end of our tour, we were taken to the Learning Studio on the lower ground floor. This is not open to the public but is available for pre-booked groups. The studio space was large, with free standing tables and chairs and a range of art materials. I really enjoyed our visit there. I have not taken any photos of this space, as it was full with people.

Toilets

The website advertises that the gallery has 2 accessible toilets on its lower ground floor. One in the men's and one in the women's toilet areas. There are signs into the toilets. This leads to separate toilet areas for men and women. Both areas are advertised as having an accessible toilet. WOMEN'S LOWER GROUND FLOOR ACCESSIBLE TOILET I can only comment on the women's toilets, but from the double row of cubicles there is no signage to help you identify which accessible toilet. The the only hint is that on one of the doors there is a handle. However, as the handle is a similar silver colour as the door, it may be difficult for people with visual impairments to spot this. It is a manual door. The accessible toilet shares space with a drop down baby changing facility and is quite spacious. However there are only grab rails on one side of the toilet. There was a vertical and horizontal grab rails on the left hand side, when seated. I found it very difficult to pull myself up safely after I had used the toilet, as I require grab rails on both sides. This will also make it difficult for people who have a preference for right hand side transfers. I don't recall seeing a sink in the accessible toilet, but I could have been wrong. The sinks in the main area all covered in underneath which would make it difficult for a wheelchair user to use. the hand dryers are more accessible. MEZZANINE FLOOR ACCESSIBLE TOILET There is also an accessible toilet on the mezzanine, which is not advertised on their website or listed on the lift directory. I only found out of it by word of mouth from another visitor. When I got to the Mezzanine floor, I came out into a corridor which at the end had a very small wheelchair user sign on the wall, see photo. I then went through the the archway and there was a door without a sign on it. As I was unable to go any further along this corridor, I assumed this was the accessible toilet. It has a manual door. The toilet is fairly spacious, although a standing height sink unit occupies quite a bit of the space. There are are plenty of grab rails on both side. The emergency cord is cut and does not reach the floor, making it unsafe as disabled people who fall onto the floor will not easily be able to each it and call for assistance. There is a sink at wheelchair user height.

Staff

Staff were very welcoming and helpful. A real credit to the gallery. I was part of a large group and staff assisted all of us. The group consisted of mainly older people, and fold up stools were pro-actively brought and distributed. This was very thoughtful. We had a guide tour of the exhibition by Karl, who was extremely knowledgeable, engaging and his tour really brought the exhibition to life. Afterwards he led the creative art project in the Learning Studio. I also spoke to him about the problems with access, and he actively listened and gave me the card for Head of Learning, so I could share with her my comments and Euan's Guide Review.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I really loved my visit to Saatchi. The exhibition, tour and art session were all excellent. It is a very accessible space. However, the gallery could make some minor adjustments to make it more accessible. SIGNAGE 1) The step free route from Duke of York Square to the entrance door could be better signposted. At the moment it is a little confusing. Disabled people may already be in pain, fatigue and discomfort by their journey to get there, so anything to minimise stress would be appreciated. It would be helpful if the website had a step free route map from the Square to the entrance door and/ or photos. If in the Square itself signage was installed to show step free route and in the pathway leading to the door if one or both of the signage boards could indicate where the step free entrance is. 2) Signage on the door of the accessible toilets on the lower ground floor. 3) Let disabled people know about the accessible toilet on the mezzanine level. This should include website, building maps, information boards, info by lift. If you have accessibility let disabled people know. SEATING 1) Permanent seating in all rooms, including those with back support and arms for transferring. 2) If this is not possible, then maps and signs showing where the seating is. ACCESIBLE TOILETS 1) Lower ground floor accessible toilet to have grab rails on both sides of toilet, to make it safer for disabled people to transfer. 2) I can't remember if there is a sink in the lower ground floor accessible toilet, please put one in, as the communal sink area is not at wheelchair height or has space under the sink for wheelchair users to get close to the sink. Please remember that some people use accessible toilet due to bladder and bowel difficulties and require easy access to a sink. 3) Signage as mentioned above. 4) All accessible toilet should have emergency cords that reach towards the ground so it is easy for a disabled person who falls on the floor to reach it. WEBSITE 1) On information about getting to the gallery, please state if tube stations have step free access and please list the nearest one with step free access and which buses to take to get them to the gallery. IE I suggest listing bus routes from Victoria to Duke of York Square. 2) Include step free route maps, photos of accessible facilities. Disabled people feel more confident about visiting new places if they know that their access needs will be met. 3) List dates upcoming BSL or other accessible or relaxed tours and keep the information up to date. 4) Ensure that audio description, large print guides available for ALL galleries and exhibition for visually impaired visitors. 5) Ensure there are captions and audio transcripts for people with hearing impairments for ALL audio. MISC 1) Thing about when choosing art work to display that artists are pro-actively encouraged to consider how their work could better engage with disabled people's access needs. Overall, I had a lovely time, access is good but let down by poor signage, lack of accessible seating and a few issues with the accessible toilets. I feel with a few small basic changes, the gallery could be much more accessible and engaging for disabled visitor. However, I had a great time and would recommend visiting.

Photos