Access in the Belper Area

Access in the Belper Area

Access in the Belper area includes information on sites which you may want to visit as part of your trip to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. We have included information on sites which have had an accessibility audit as part of the Great Place Scheme. These were carried out by Accessible Derbyshire in 2019 and we have some funding available for the sites to make some more improvements over the next few months. Please do check here regularly to keep updated, or visit the individual attractions’ websites and contact them if you need more specific information.

Strutt's North Mill

Located in the market town of Belper, Strutt’s North Mill sits at the heart of the UNESCO Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site which is recognised as the birthplace of the modern-day factory system. The current Strutt’s North Mill was built in 1804 following the loss of the original Mill on the site due to fire in 1803. The new Mill boasted a ‘fire-proof’ iron-frame, instead of timber and became a blueprint for future mill construction. In addition it was a template for modern skyscraper engineering. It is therefore recognised as one of the most important buildings from the industrial revolution in the world. The Mill, now a Grade 1 listed building, houses a museum and Visitor Centre operated by the Belper North Mill Trust. It is open to the general public and pre-booked groups and educational visits are also welcome.

General Accessibility Information

Accessible parking available on level, solid car park surface.
Level access to main entrance.
Level area available in front of accessible entrance.
Level threshold over entrance.
Manoeuvring space available to opening edge of door.
Lobby area clear of obstacles/ projections.
Assistance dogs catered for, with water bowl available.
There is a variety of seating available throughout the venue.
There is a ‘Carer Goes Free’ and other concessions available.
There is a suggestion book available.

Accessible Toilets

Accessible toilet on site.
The nearest Changing Place toilets are at Shipley Country Park and Lea Green.

Café Facilities

The reception area only serves coffee, tea and biscuits.
The tables have small tops and splayed legs.
Flexible furniture is available on site.

Specific information for visitors with

Hearing Impairment	Vision Impairment	Mobility Impairment	Autism	Dementia
Hearing loop available	Some audio commentary on videos	Level or ramped access to all areas apart from the basement, which is inaccessible to wheelchair users	Photos of venue available on leaflets and website	Neutral threshold mats
Some videos have subtitles	Variable visual contrast on site	Dropped kerbs around the site	Good Wi-Fi signal	Neutral floor coverings
Clipboard, pen and paper available at reception desk	Lighting levels vary on site	Video available of the basement area	Although mainly a peaceful venue, the machinery demonstrations can be quite loud	Good lighting (not 'pooled')
	There are a number of tactile models and items in the museum	Dropped counters in reception area		Non-reflective flooring
	Tactile elements of the tour	Some handrails available on stairs and ramps, but not all		Visual 'cues'
				Staff and volunteers are 'Dementia Friends' trained
				Stimulating and interesting day out for visitors with dementia