National Trust Cottages Access Statement Cottage Ref. 003013 The Farmhouse Middlebere Farm Arne Isle of Purbeck Introduction The Farmhouse dates from the 16 th century and is located close to the Arne Bird Sanctuary. It is grouped with two other cottages - North Cottage and the Bakehouse. The countryside immediately surrounding the Farmhouse is flat heathland. The Farmhouse can accommodate six people plus a cot It has oil-fired central heating plus multi-fuel stoves in the sitting and dining rooms The accommodation is arranged as follows: Ground floor Hallway, kitchen, dining room, sitting room (with single sofa bed), shower room with WC First floor I twin bedroom, I double bedroom with walk through to two separate single rooms, bathroom with WC. Pre-Arrival See the main webpage for booking and location details. Please contact us prior to booking if you have any specific access requirements. Directions provided with booking Bring torch if arriving in dark, as there are no streetlights here. Approach The Farmhouse is approximately 5 miles from Wareham and is located down an uneven single-track road on the edge of the Arne Bird Reserve. Page 1 of 13
Arrival & Parking Facilities There is a large parking area for the Farmhouse at the end of the track. Although the parking area is on reasonably firm and level ground, it can be somewhat muddy in wet weather. Car Parking area The Farmhouse is dual aspect with an entrance door either side. There is a side gate and path to each of the doors. The main door used by guests to access the building is the door off the courtyard. The main door of the Farmhouse is approximately 15 metres from the parking area. Guests can drive through the farm gate into the courtyard and unload directly in front of the Farmhouse. The route to the main entrance door from the car park is through a side gate and along a crazy-paved stone path beside the Farmhouse with a slightly irregular surface. (See photo). The route to the garden door is through a side gate and along a crazy-paved stone path with a slightly irregular surface. (See photo). The keysafe box is in the covered porch opposite the entrance door at a height of 1500mm from floor level. It is operated by a push button mechanism. A torch is recommended, especially if arriving in the dark, as the numbers on the box can be difficult to see. The keys will need to be returned to the keysafe on departure. Page 2 of 13
Route from parking area to main entrance door Courtyard with Farmhouse to the right Page 3 of 13
Getting in (and out) of the cottage Route from parking area to garden entrance door The main entrance door has a 900mm wide clear opening width with level access into the hallway. The garden entrance door is immediately opposite this door on the other side of the house and has the same dimensions. The hallway is wide with a level flagstone surface and provides level access to the kitchen, living/dining rooms and ground floor shower room/wc. Approach to main entrance door Access at main entrance door Page 4 of 13
View through hallway to garden door Garden door entrance Getting around the cottage Level access throughout the ground floor. 160mm step up either side of landing at top of stairs plus 200mm step up to double room (leading through to two single rooms) Door to staircase from living room with clear opening width of 800mm Staircase has nine stairs to first floor with a handrail to the left side (ascending) The stairs are quite steep (200-280mm high) and turn near the top Ground floor has flagstone floor in hallway and living room, wooden flooring in the dining room and vinyl flooring in the kitchen and shower room/wc. First floor has wooden floors with loose rugs in the bedrooms and vinyl flooring in the bedrooms The staircase is carpeted Internal door clear opening widths range from 860mm (the kitchen) to 740mm (the bedrooms) Page 5 of 13
Door to staircase from Sitting Room Staircase Kitchen Directly off the hallway with level access from the hallway Door into kitchen is 860mm wide Height of worktops is 910mm Double electric oven and electric hob with controls to the right hand side (as facing) Central halogen tracklights and light in cooker hood Fridge, separate freezer, microwave, cordless kettle, toaster Sink with easy turn taps (with short lever) Pine table with four wooden chairs with backrests Separate shared laundry facilities on-site washing machine and dryer Page 6 of 13
Ground floor shower room and WC Directly off hallway with level access from the hallway Bi-fold door with 800mm clear opening width Total area of room is 2440mm x 1700mm WC, basin and level access shower area with free-standing shower stool WC is 460mm high Shower stool is height adjustable and has no back or armrests The bottom end of the shower riser rail is 1400mm from the floor The shower runs off the mains and has lever controls at 900mm from floor level Basin is 780mm high to rim and has a single lever mixer tap There is a horizontal grab rail on the wall by the WC, a drop down rail between the WC and the shower and a grab rail on the wall beside the shower. (See photo). Page 7 of 13
Sitting Room Level entrance from the hallway. Door 850mm clear opening width Two large two-seater sofas with seat height of 410mm One sofa bed converts to a single sofa bed Two armchairs with seat height of 430mm Two window seats Multi-fuel stove TV/DVD and CD and Radio player Stone floor with rush matting Doorway to staircase and door through to dining room Two ceiling lights, one table lamp and one standard lamp Page 8 of 13
Dining Room Level access through from sitting room Door 850mm wide Wooden floor with one rug Multi-fuel stove Table and six chairs including two carvers Chair seat height is 450mm CD/Radio player Table 760mm high to top/745mm high underneath One overhead light and one side light 1 st floor bathroom and WC WC, freestanding slipper-style bath and basin WC is 450mm high and has footpedal flush mechanism Bath is 670mm high, 1800mm long and is 660mm wide at the narrowest point Convector heater, light over basin Basin 780mm high Chair Page 9 of 13
Twin bedroom Door into room is 760mm wide Beds are 530mm/21 high, 3 wide and 6 6 long One reading lamp on cabinet between the beds Free-standing furniture Double Bedroom Spacious room 5 wide double bed double bed which is 6 3 long and 23 /580mm high Reading lights on cabinets to both sides of bed Freestanding antique furniture Window seat Doors to single rooms to left and right of bed Page 10 of 13
Single bedrooms (through double room) Door through from double bedroom either side of bed to each separate room Both rooms have single beds which are 3 wide, 6 6 long and 2 /600mm high Wall hung convector heaters Bedside cabinet with reading lamp. Central ceiling light. Chest of drawers Laundry Room Shared facilities in stables attached to Farmhouse with external level access Washing machine, tumble dryer and payphone Garden Large open garden laid to grass and shared with North Cottage next door. Level access from house Wooden garden table with integral seating Path to parking area Page 11 of 13
Additional Information Under floor heating on ground floor Wall mounted convector heaters on 1 st floor Multi-fuel stoves in sitting room and dining room Assistance dogs are welcome at all our cottages Pets other than assistance dogs cannot be accommodated here In the event of a fire, it is the responsibility of the guests to evacuate themselves. Please contact us if you required any specific access requirements in this respect. Facilities at all cottages The National Trust aims to expand the list of accessible /equipment/items available at each cottage and these may include Cordless kettle Chair with armrests Good reading light Large handle vegetable peeler Easy tin opener Non-slip mat for bath/shower Non-slip place mat Easy jar opener Information in alternative formats (on request) Please note that we cannot guarantee that all items will be available at the time of your visit. Please enquire at the time of booking regarding any particular requests. Specialist equipment Other specialist equipment such as wheelchairs, bath seats, toilet frames and commodes etc may be available for loan or purchase from the local Red Cross loan centre. Please check this out before booking the Cottage and contact us if you require further information. http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=89425 The nearest centre is at: Unit 1, Albany Business Park Page 12 of 13
Cabot Lane Poole BH17 7BX 01202 699 453 Monday-Friday 10.00-12.00 Future Plans to improve Access to NT Holiday Cottages We are currently in the process of writing access statements for all our holiday cottages and improving access over time for all our guests. All feedback is very helpful in informing us of ways in which we can improve access to all our cottages. We welcome any comments or ideas from you about access at this cottage and thank you for taking the time to do this. Please do this in the most convenient way for you. See main webpages for details. About the Access Statement This Access Statement is intended to provide key information about the cottage that may be particularly relevant to guests with disabilities. Please contact us prior to booking if you would like information that is more specific and we will be happy to oblige. Email: cottages@nationaltrust.org.uk Phone: 0844 8002070 Access for All at the National Trust The Access for All office works to improve access at all National Trust cottages and properties. The office welcomes comments and ideas on improving access. Phone: 01793 817634 Email: accessforall@nationaltrust.org.uk January 2013 Page 13 of 13