Accessibility at Friars House

Our approach

Friars House is nine self-catering apartments in a converted building in Stafford town centre. Below is a plain, honest description of the building, including the things that may not suit you.

We would rather you decided before you booked than discovered on arrival. If something you need to know isn't here, call us on +44 (0) 1785 291203 and we will go and check.

In short

Apartments 1, 2 and 3 are step free throughout. There is no step at the building entrance and no stairs to reach them, so the route from your parking space to your apartment door is level the whole way.

Their entry lock boxes are mounted at seated-reach height.

What we do not have: an accessible parking bay, a lift to the upper floors, grab rails in the bathrooms, or a visual fire alarm. We would rather set that out plainly than have you find out on arrival.

Getting here without a car

Stafford railway station is a short walk, with direct services from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.

The route is step-free, with dropped kerbs at every crossing, and essentially flat, with around nine metres of elevation change across the whole walk.

Parking and arrival

Eight of our nine apartments have an allocated parking space. The nearest space is about two metres from the building entrance, on tarmac.

Apartment 9 has no allocated parking space. If you are booking apartment 9 and need to park, talk to us first.

There is no designated accessible parking bay.

A taxi or car can pull up directly outside the entrance.

Entering the building

There is no step at the communal entrance. Entry is level from the parking area.

The communal door is 80cm wide and fairly heavy to open.

Entry is by lock box, housed in a wall cabinet beside the entrance. The boxes for apartments 1, 2 and 3 are at 120cm from the ground, within reach of someone seated. Boxes for the upper-floor apartments sit higher, up to 150cm.

The entrance is well lit.

Apartments 1, 2 and 3: ground floor

Once inside the building, these three apartments are reached on the level. There are no steps, and no raised thresholds at the apartment doors.

Apartment doors are fire doors, which are heavier than standard internal doors and self-closing.

Apartment 1. Bath with over-bath shower. Generous turning space in the living room and kitchen. Of the three, this has the most space beside the toilet.

Apartment 2. Bath with over-bath shower.

Apartment 3. Shower rather than a bath, but with a stepped entry into the shower. Generous turning space in the living room and kitchen.

Internal doorways throughout are 81cm wide.

None of the bathrooms currently has grab rails. Toilets are standard height. Beds are standard divan base and mattress.

Flooring is mixed across the apartments.

Apartments 4 to 9: upper floors

There is no lift. These apartments are reached by stairs only.

The staircase runs in flights of approximately nine steps with a landing between each flight, so around eighteen steps from ground to first floor, and a similar number from first to second. There is a handrail on one side throughout.

Every step has a contrasting metal nosing against dark carpet, and the first step of each flight is marked with a high-visibility yellow nosing, so step edges are clearly defined for guests with limited vision. The stairwell has natural light, good artificial lighting and emergency lighting throughout.

In every apartment

Kitchens are standard height fitted units. Ovens and appliances are at reachable height rather than below the worktop.

Wi-Fi is available throughout.

There is no telephone in the apartments. Contact with us is by mobile and through our app.

The building has an eight-zone addressable fire alarm system under maintenance contract, automatic smoke ventilation to the stairwell, emergency lighting throughout, and an emergency door release at the exit.

Fire alarms are audible only. There is currently no visual or vibrating alert. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, please contact us before booking so we can talk through what we can arrange.

If phone calls are difficult

Guest support is available by message as well as by phone, so you never need to make a call to reach us.

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome in all apartments.

What we are working on

We know this page shows gaps. Over the coming year we intend to address the ones we can, including grab rails and improved alerting for deaf and hard-of-hearing guests.

Just ask

We are a small team and we would rather be asked than guess. If you need something moved, a particular apartment held, a specific measurement, or help planning your arrival, contact us before you book.

+44 (0) 1785 291203 · bookings@bellapartments.co.uk

We will tell you honestly whether we can meet your needs. If we cannot, we will say so.