access statement - home | mark cross inn | whiting & hammond

ACCESS STATEMENT

INTRODUCTION

This access statement does not contain personal opinions as to our suitability for those with access needs, but aims to accurately describe the facilities and services that we offer all our guests/visitors.

The Mark Cross Inn is based in the heart of the Sussex countryside. Just off of the main road to Tunbridge Wells (A267), the pub sits on the Wadhurst/Crowborough junction of the B2100. With Tunbridge Wells only 6 miles away, and some of East Sussex’s most beautiful villages only 3 miles away, we are perfectly positioned as the ideal meeting spot. The Mark Cross over looks the stunning rolling hills of the Sussex and boast some of the best views in the area. We pride ourselves on providing excellent food, with well maintained and good quality ale, and an extensive and well thought-out wine list, along with our friendly and welcoming service from our local staff. We are able to provide easy access to the pub via wheelchair ramps in to the main doors,

and also into our main restaurant areas. For those that need a lighter area to dine we have our main room, The Library, lined with skylines and windows out on to the garden, or for those after a quieter area we have our Drawing Room and Front Bar, which provide a more private dining experience. We also have disabled toilet facilities and a large beer garden which again are easily accessible.

We look forward to welcoming you. If you

have any queries or require any assistance

please phone 01892 852423 or email

[email protected].

THE MARK CROSS INN, MARK CROSS, NR TUNBRIDGE WELLS, CROWBOROUGH, EAST SUSSEX TN6 3NP TEL: 01892 852423 EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: WWW.THEMARKCROSS.CO.UK PUBA

PUBA

PRE-ARRIVAL

• Inplanningofyourvisitweareaccessible via the main bus line from Tunbridge Wells to Eastbourne, which comes by the top of our road every 30 minutes, and stops just outside the Garden Centre, via all taxi services, Streamline of Crowborough being our recommend company, via the train services in to Jarvis Brooke and Wadhurst, which are both within 3 miles, a taxi or bus can be taken from each station. If your coming via car, on entering the village of Mark Cross, from either direction, you will need to follow signs to “Wadhurst” and “Wadhurst Station” and as you come off the main road you will see the pub sitting pride of place in the middle of our sleepy village.

CAR PARKING AND ARRIVAL

• Ourenteringthecarparkthereareseveral parking bays on the left hand side, and then the car park opens in to a large gravelled circular space around our featured roundabout all within a very close proximity to the main doors. If the

car park is full there is a public car park on the other side of the road 50 yards from the front door. The pub has 3 main access points, our main entrance via the wheelchair ramp or the stairs, which both have rails for support and lead in to the main lobby area where there is a set of manual double doors; the garden via the car park through the white gate and then round on to the patio and up a steep step in to the pub, or our front door in to our bar area which has a single pull door and a shallow step. During the evening the car park is well lit but caution should still be shown on the gravel. As you enter the car park there is ample space for cars to stop to drop guests off before moving on to park.

BAR & BAR AREA AND DINING AREA/RESTAURANT

We have 4 main areas in the pub, all of which provide ample sitting and access,

• TheFrontBar,whichisthelargeareasituated at the front of the pub, and is the original and oldest part of the


pub, this can be accessed via the main entrance and then right up past the facilities and up a very shallow step, or via the front door located at the very front of the pub and again up a very shallow step, and then through a single pull door.

• ThesecondareaistheCellar,whichis the whole of the ground area surrounding the main bar just inside the main entrance; this is all ground level and easily accessible. This is also where all our facilities are located, the men’s and women’s are just up the step heading into the Front Bar, and the disabled are just inside the main lobby area, they are unisex, radar key locked and also have our baby changing facilities in. There are also large double doors out on to the patio and a garden area which is has a large step down on to the patio.

• TheDrawingRoomwhichissituatedbehind our large wine cage via 2 sets of steps on either side. This room is available and ideal for large parties such as buffets and functions and has removable ramps available for

wheelchair access. This is the only area without an exit door, however access is available though in to the Library via a shallow step, and it is a straight exit out the doors at the back of the Library on to the garden.

• TheLibrary,whichisourlargestandmost popular room. This room has many windows and looks out on to the gardens and the views, it is a very light and airy room and perfect for those requiring better light for poor vision. The room is accessible via two very shallow steps and again wheelchair ramps are available. During the summer months the room is also accessible via the garden doors and the patio doors.

All of the main doors into and out of the pub have a full 180% opening space, and allow ample room for wheelchairs to come and go with ease. We have a few plants around the doors but these are well enough out of the main paths and there are no other obstacles within the door ways. The front door is a single birth door way and would not be suitable for wheelchair


access, but there is other more suitable and easier ways to gain access to that area. We have ample spaces between tables for wheelchair and pushchair access and also have a selected amount of tables kept free from people requiring more space and better access. We also boast a wide selection of sitting available, including tall bar stools, big comfy armchairs, mini bar stalls, benches, church pews, standard cushioned chairs, cushions and blankets for comfort and booster seats for children; our tables have high underneath’s and lower ones to allow for all circumstances. Throughout the pub the ceiling has energy saving LED’s, wall mounted picture lights, and ceiling spot lights, making the pub well lit at all times as well as pillar candles on every table and large outdoor candles lighting up the patio as well as ample outside lighting; alongside our light background music and no TV’s and our mix of beautiful dark stained wooden floors, and carpeted areas, and our large stone entrance it creates for a cosy and welcoming atmosphere. Because everything is prepared fresh on the day, we are able

to cater for most dietary requirements; and actively encourage people to ring in advance and tell us of the requirement so that we can make sure we go the extra mile in providing them with something appropriate. We provide table service throughout the inside of the pub, however we do ask outside table to order at the bar, but staffs are on hand to help those in need of it.

CUSTOMER TOILETS

• Wehavethreecustomertoilets;thewomen’s, comprising of three cubicles, with hooks on the doors, sanitary disposal bins and ample space in each, 2 hand wash basins, with soap and moisturizer available; we also provide an electric hand dryer and paper towels and a general waste bin, and have a large mirror over the basins. The men’s, comprising of 4 urinals, 1 cubical with a hook on the door and ample space, 2 wash basins with soap and moisturizer and a large mirror over the basins and an electric hand dryer and paper towels


with general waste bin; the disabled, comprising of 1 hand wash basin, separate sanitary and general waste bins, soap and moisturizer, electric hand dryer and paper towels, 1 toilet with hand rails and space for wheel chair, radar key locking system, ample space for 2 people were needed, and the baby changing table, which is attached to the opposite wall, and folds away to provide maximum space saving. There are heaters and windows in the men’s and women’s, and an electric ventilation system in the disabled as well as automatic lighting and “Help” cord.

BEER GARDEN/OUTDOOR AREA/SMOKING AREA

• Wehavealargeoutdoorarealocatedatthe back of the pub, accessible either through the main entrance and out the large Cellar area doors or via the car park through the little white gate straight in to the garden via a level stone path. We have a large patio area, looking out on to the countryside, hosting 8 large round tables, with ample access and

plenty of seating and large parasols on some of the tables providing shade. We have a further 17 tables in our garden, the tables are varied sizes and seating capacity, and most of which have parasols for shade, all of our outside tables are smoking, we also have a large awning attached to the front of the building providing shelter during the rain, we also provide blankets and hand held umbrellas should the occasion callforit.Ourgardensareexcellentlymaintained and have a wide range of flowers, trees and plants adding to the natural beauty of our garden. We also have a large play castle for children and the bottom of the garden, but do ask for parents to monitor their children at all times. Although the outside areas are “bar service” the tables are prepared with cutlery baskets for the customers, the staffs are always more than happy to carry drinks to tables, or to provide a table service for those unable to come back and forth the main bar, the food and all accompaniments are brought out to the tables and cleared away by staff as well.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

As a company we provide CPL online training certificates to all our staff, this includes a disability awareness and equality and diversity among a large selection of relevant courses. We are welcoming and always helpful to all persons with disabilities and do everything we can to make them welcome and comfortable, including the recharging of any equipment/mobility aids, reprinting our daily menu in larger font for those with poor visibility, reading the menu aloud were necessary and generally helping with what we can. The staffs are also very welcoming to all assist dogs and non assist dogs, and water bowls are readily provided for all dogs, and often treats were permitted!

Onthegeneralwithinthepub,weallowdogs in most of the areas, with the exception of the 2 main restaurant rooms. We have WiFi available at no extra cost, and we are more than happy to oblige when people need to charge their devices, we provided details of 2 local B&B’s and in return they recommend us to their guests,

as well as local taxi firms which we are happy to call on the guests behalf, or lend our phones to if preferred; we are more than accommodating when providing children’s sized meals, or changing the menu to something suitable for them, and heating baby food. We are happy to oblige to practically everything, where we can.


CONTACT INFORMATIONAddress (Inc postcode): The Mark Cross Inn,Mark Cross, Crowborough, East Sussex TN6 3NP

Telephone: 01892 852423

Email: [email protected] [email protected]

Website: www.themarkcross.co.uk www.whitingandhamond.co.uk

HoursOfOperation: Monday–Wednesday11am–11pm Thursday9am–11pm Friday&Saturday9am–12am Sunday9am–10:30pm

LocalTaxiNumbers: CrowboroughTaxis–01892440016 ConcordeCars–01892853333 ArrowTaxi–01892664039 AshdownCars–01892655604


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