An attractive, well-preserved Victorian pub, very poor accessibility
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This review is especially helpful for those who have or use the following: Powerchair
Overview
This pub has no ramp to give entry to wheelchair users and no accessible toilet.
Transport & Parking
The pub is located just off Gray's Inn Road, very near King's Cross Station, which is step-free to all lines. In addition there are zillions of buses serving the immediate area. So public transport is very favourable for getting to this pub.
Access
There is a big step from the pavement to the pathway leading to the front door of the pub. Most wheelchair users will not be able to get up this step. I arrived in my powerchair, which was certainly unable to negotiate the step. The pub has no wheelchair ramp. A friendly barman went off and fetched three planks of wood of various widths, and was able to place them in front of the step to make a series of smaller steps. By this means I was able to get into the pub, but it was a rough and dangerous ride, and I would not ever want to do this again. The pub really must acquire a proper wheelchair ramp.
Toilets
There is no accessible toilet.
Staff
The staff are wonderfully friendly and keen to be helpful. The very sweet man who fetched the planks of wood for me had worked hard to find a solution to let me in. One star lost because they really should have thought things through better and bought a wheelchair ramp by now, well over twenty years after it became a legal obligation to give access to disabled people.
Anything else you wish to tell us?
The pub is attractively old-fashioned, with many original features, and a vast selection of really interesting beers, including a nearly alcohol-free (0.5%) beer which is very tasty. Live music is performed on Thursdays. It's a lovely place to visit - but is badly let down by very poor accessibility and the lack of a wheelchair-accessible toilet.
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