The Midlands Development Association

An exterior shot of the Almonry in Evesham; an old black and white medieval building on a sunny day. It has a charming brick stone roof and a slightly distorted "wavy" look from refurbishments. In front of it is a small but beautiful garden with a gravel walkway and a mixture of green yellow, and pink flowers.

Direct Access were the accessibility consultant for several museums, historic sites, and museums managed by the Midlands Development Association across the East and West Midlands. 

Our initial audits – which took place in 2022, included reviews of;

East Midlands

  • Stafford Castle
  • The Almonry, Evesham
  • The Royal Regiment Museum, Warwick
  • Wythall Transport Museum
 
West Midlands
  • Barrow Hill Museum
  • Castle Donington Museum
  • Foxton Inclined Plane Trust
  • National Civil War Centre, Newark

Beginning with a short preliminary tour of the site, our team of access consultants took on board the COVID-19 measures which would have implications on safety and access, and recorded our initial key points on tablets.

We then undertook our accessibility audits, taking photographs to illustrate specific access issues – speaking to staff members about how they felt, before submitting a full-colour PDF report, alongside a detailed Action Plan –  breaking down areas that could present accessibility non-compliance, and providing solutions to each in the form of an action plan, addressing the unique layouts, facilities, and services present at each site.

The audits included several sites of historic and cultural significance to the East and West Midlands regions. Tamworth Castle and Stafford Castle are Grade I and Grade II listed, respectively.

The Almonry in Evesham was once home to the Almoner, one of the monks from the Benedictine Abbey that was founded at Evesham in the 8th Century.

Following the closure of the Abbey by Henry VIII, the Almonry became the private home of the last Abbot, Philip Ballard, whilst the rest of the Abbey buildings were sold to Sir Philip Hoby who arranged for the quarrying of the stone.

Today, the Almonry, two churches, bell tower and cloister arch are all that remain of what was reportedly the third largest abbey in England.

A beautiful sunset reflects on the ancient Stafford Castle. Underhead lighting gives the brick walls of the castle a blood orange look The colourful sky in the background is a mixture of blue and pink as the sun sets.

Our consultants ensured that the historic elements of each site were respected, whether our consultants found specific issues within a castle, building, or exhibit within the museums – our task was to ensure that accessibility was made a priority without damage to the integrity of the sites, innovating ideas which would allow an increased amount of happier and assured disabled visitors.

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