Welcome to The Queen’s Hall Accessibility Guide Updated August 2021 The Hall Introduction The following information has been written to help you prepare for your visit to The Queen’s Hall. If you have any questions before you arrive, please contact us and ask for Emma or Gordon who will be happy to help you. You can also arrange a visit before you come to an event. Please contact us if you have any comments or feedback on this document. Telephone: +44 (0)131 668 2019 Email: info@queenshalledinburgh.org Address: The Queen’s Hall, 85-89 Clerk Street, Edinburgh EH8 9JG Website: www.thequeenshall.net There are a lot of staff at events to help you if you have questions or need assistance. They are dressed in black with black ‘STAFF’ face masks and will be standing near the doors to the Hall or behind the Bar. There are also staff in the Box Office before an event starts. Please ask if you need staff to write things down if you have difficulty understanding them because of the face masks. This is what The Queen’s Hall looks like from the outside. The banners might be different colours. Auditorium Space * Tall room with a Gallery at the upper level. Columns supporting the Gallery can affect some sightlines * Depending on the event the central stalls area will be set with rows of chairs, cabaret-style with chairs placed around round tables, or be standing space * Rows: there will be approximately 47cm between each row of seats in the central stalls, although this is not guaranteed * Cabaret tables: 6 chairs are set around each table, all facing forward. There is very limited space between them * The chairs in the centre stalls have a seat height of 45cm. The back is 77cm high * Wooden pew seating around the sides and back of the room is fixed * There is 39cm to 50cm of legroom in the pew seating and the seat backs are approximately 57cm high * The ends of the rows of pew seats are approximately 122cm high * A sound and lighting desk is situated close to the central entrance Lighting * Candle-type bright white lights around the walls. These are the only lights which remain constant * Other lighting is never fixed and can be a numerous array of colours and brightness depending on the event * The curtains may be open or closed depending on the ambience * Green lights above the doors show the direction you need to go if there is an emergency Noise * General noise dependent on the type of event. Unreserved or standing events tend to be the noisiest * Chatter, shuffling of chairs, background murmur * Music plays softly in the background to make space feel comfortable * Some traffic noise * Background noise of ventilator and lights * Announcements over the speakers will tell you when it is time to sit down as the event is about to start Textures * The floor is wooden when you enter through any of the doors on the ground floor * The floor in the central stalls is stone and can be a little uneven * The chairs in the centre stalls are covered in a red material that is slightly rough to the touch. The legs and frame of the chairs are a smooth metal * Tables are round and have a wooden top and metal legs * The pew seats are painted wood and smooth to the touch. The cushions are covered in a blue textured material * Some pew seats have pipes at foot level which can be warm Steps * There is step-free access into the central stall area * There are 1 or 2 steps of between 4cm and 25cm in height to the ground floor pew seating, depending on where you are sitting * There is a ramp to the side stall pews which is 91cm in width and inclines to a height of 36cm * A metal handrail runs the full length of the ramp at a height of 88cm * Cables leading from the sound and lighting desk close to the central entrance are navigated via a small ramp Doors * There are four entrances for the audience downstairs – doors are not power-assisted but remain open until the event starts. Doors vary in width from 117cm to 126cm. The widest door entrance is the one closest to the Bar Other information * You will be required to wear a face mask unless you are medically exempt * There will be hand sanitiser if you want to use it * For seated events your ticket will have a letter and number on it which shows the usher where you are sitting * If you feel like sitting down at a standing gig you are free to go into any of the pew seats * Wheelchair spaces will always be in the centre stalls at a seated event * At standing events, wheelchairs are free to go anywhere, but can be moved to the front if a request is made to staff * There will always be staff at each door and around the venue at every event who you can ask for help. They will be wearing black face masks with The Queen’s Hall logo and the word STAFF on them * There are signs to the toilet facilities on the walls * Depending on the type of event, you may not be allowed to take drinks into the Auditorium The centre stalls set up in rows, looking from the stage View of the Audtiorium from the entrance closest to the Bar. This shows some of the pillars that can affect sightlines The centre stalls set up in rows, looking towards the stage Pew seating Gallery Space * This is the upper level of The Queen’s Hall * It is all seated, but there is room to stand at either side, nearest the stage * There are rows of pew seating with seats that fold down. The seat height is approximately 44cm and the seat back another 47cm high * There is approximately 28cm of legroom between each row * The ends of the rows are between 86cm and 105cm high * Rows are all given letters. A is the nearest to the front Lighting * Candle-type bright white lights around the walls. These are the only lights which remain constant * Other lighting is never fixed and can be a numerous array of colours and brightness depending on the event * Seating in the Gallery is closer to the lights so they may seem brighter * The curtains may be open or closed depending on the ambience * Green lights above the doors show the direction you need to go if there is an emergency Noise * General noise dependent on the type of event. Unreserved or standing events tend to be the noisiest. The Gallery is often a bit quieter than downstairs * Chatter, background murmur * Music plays softly in the background to make space feel comfortable * Background noise of ventilator and lights * There is a slight echo * The door to and from the upstairs toilets is quite noisy * Announcements over the speakers will tell you when it is time to go into the Auditorium for the start of the event Textures * The floor is carpeted. * The chairs seats are covered in a red material that is slightly rough to the touch * The backs of the pew seats are blue painted wood and are smooth to the touch Steps * The Gallery is accessed via 30 steps from either end of the Front Corridor * There are a maximum of 19 steps to access the Gallery seats once you are on the upper level depending on which row you are seated in. These vary in height from 18cm to 25.5cm * There are handrails on both sides of the steps up to the start of the seating area, which vary in height from 90cm to 98cm * There are 3 steps between each row of seats * Seating can be on the left or the right of the steps * There are no handrails along these steps, but you can hold on to the end of the pews, which are 86cm to 105cm in height * There is a handrail along the edge of the balcony for safety at a height of 27cm, increasing to 67cm at the end of each set of stairs * White edging on the first and last step shows the length of each flight of stairs and glows in the dark * There is no step-free access to the Gallery area Doors * Access is through two entrances from the Front Corridor * Doors are not power-assisted but remain open until the event starts. * Doors are 88cm to 126cm wide. Other information * You will be required to wear a face mask unless you are medically exempt * There will be hand sanitiser if you want to use it * Staff will be wearing black face masks with The Queen’s Hall logo and the word STAFF on them * For seated events your ticket will have a letter and number on it which shows the usher where you are sitting * If an event is quiet, the Gallery seating will be closed * Depending on the type of event, you may not be allowed to take drinks into the Auditorium or Gallery * There are large plastic bins around the Gallery – black lid for general rubbish and green lid for anything that can be recycled View of the Audtiorium from the Centre Gallery Gallery Gallery seating which flips down Steps up to the Centre Gallery Front Corridor Space * Long Corridor running along the front of the Auditorium * It is broken up into several sections by sets of internal doors * The Auditorium can be accessed from this Corridor via doors at either end * Several doors along its length allow access to and from the building * There are a second set of All Gender Toilets at the south end Lighting * Light is varied in the space with some sections being darker than others. Parts of the corridor can be some of the darkest spaces in the building * Bright white candle lights hang from the ceiling. Softer white uplighters on the walls Noise * Noticeable background noise including traffic * Background chatter, laughter, and other excited noises * Music plays softly in the background to make space feel comfortable * The space is noisiest before an event, in any intervals, and after the event has finished * Announcements over the speakers will tell you when it is time to go into the Auditorium for the start of the event Textures * The walls are painted white and feel like dry paint * The floor is carpet * Stairs are made of stone and can feel cold * The handrails on the staircase are either wooden and feel smooth or metal, which can feel cold * The radiators can be hot to the touch Steps * There are no steps to enter the Corridor * A staircase at either end of the Corridor leads up to the Gallery of the Auditorium. If there is a red rope across the bottom of the stairs this means the Gallery is closed * There are 30 steps in total at either end of the Corridor. These range in height from 15cm to 16cm * A white line on the edge of a step shows the beginning and end of the flight of stairs * The staircases are between 136cm and 148cm wide * There are wooden handrails on each side of the staircase. These range in height from 103cm to 106cm. The handrail along the wall has an occasional 2.5cm break in it Doors * There are several sets of internal double doors ranging in width from 106cm to 126cm – they are not power-assisted * During events the doors remain open * Not all the doors to the outside may be in use. Staff will be able to help you. The most commonly used doors are those at either end of the Corridor. There is always access via the power-assisted door next to the Box Office Other information * You will be required to wear a face mask unless medically exempt * There will be hand sanitiser for you to use should you wish * There will be NHS Test & Protect QR codes for you to scan if you have a mobile device * Staff will be wearing black face masks with The Queen’s Hall log on one side and the word ‘STAFF’ on the other * Signs on the walls in black writing give directions to the Bar, Box Office, Auditorium and Gallery * Other black and white signs on the walls give event information, for example, do not take photographs * Signs by each Auditorium door give a plan of the seating * Brightly coloured posters on the walls give information about future events * Leaflets on wooden racks above the radiators also have information about future events – feel free to take them * There are large plastic bins along the Corridor for waste – black lid for general rubbish and green lid for anything that can be recycled * The temperature can be warmer in this area than in the rest of the building View along the Corridor from the Box Office View along the Corridor towards the Box Office One of the doors into the Auditorium from the front Corridor Stairs to the Gallery The Queen’s Hall Accessibility Guide Staff are available to help during your visit. If you have any questions you can ring us on Telephone: +44 (0)131 668 3456 Or email us directly at our Email: info@queenshalledinburgh.org 1