The main entrance and Box Office entrance of The Bridgewater Hall both have
level access from Lower Mosley Street. Automatic doors are at the Box Office
entrance. Access to and from the NCP Manchester Central (G-MEX) car park is
by lift or ramp from Barbirolli Square to the canal basin and the covered walkway
under Lower Mosley Street.
There are lifts to all four levels of The Bridgewater Hall with a voice announcer and level information in raised lettering on the control panel.
Seats for patrons using wheelchairs are available on all four levels of the auditorium.
All stair landings have raised lettering with directional information.
All bars and the Box Office have low level counter positions.
A unisex WC is available on each of the Hall's four levels.
The WC on the Choir Circle has a sliding door.
A low level public telephone is situated near the Box Office.
Facilities for patrons with impaired vision
The front rows of the stalls area offer the best viewing opportunities for patrons with impaired vision.
Guide dogs are welcome throughout the building and auditorium.
All auditorium levels have a Sennheiser infra-red hearing system. There are three types of receivers - the stethoscope receivers (for patrons with impaired hearing), the necklet induction couplers (for use with switchable hearing aids) and the earpiece receiver (for use with digital in-ear hearing aids). Any of these aids may be borrowed from the cloakroom on the ground floor foyer and the Box Office can advise on the most suitable seating areas.
Hearing dogs are welcome throughout the building and auditorium.
Patrons who are wheelchair users are entitled to half-price tickets for both themselves and their companion at all events.
Patrons who are registered disabled should contact the Box Office to check their eligibility for concessionary prices.
To assist disabled patrons in the Stalls and Circle bars, the low counters are designated for their primary use. Interval drinks and coffees can be ordered from here. (Gallery ticket holders should use the Circle bar.)
Remember that The Bridgewater Hall staff are there to help; please do not hesitate to approach any staff member for assistance.
Convenient car parking can be found in the NCP Manchester Central car park
below G-Mex, which is linked directly to The Bridgewater Hall by an underpass
beneath Lower Mosley Street. This well-lit underground walkway gives level access
from the car-park to a lift which, in turn, gives access to Barbirolli Square
just outside the Hall's main entrance.
There is a specially designated tarmacked area for wheelchair-using patrons adjacent to the walkway entrance (see map). There are a limited number of complimentary parking spaces in this area which are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. Priority is given to wheelchair users; spaces are free of charge but a ticket must be booked from the Box Office with your concert tickets. Blue badge holders are also entitled to park free in this area; again with a relevant ticket that must be obtained in advance (see above). Please note that the remainder of this parking area, other than the aforementioned wheelchair spaces, is cobbled.
Car parking on the surrounding streets: a wheelchair drop off point is on Lower Mosley Street (see map). We must stress, however, that this is not a parking space, even for blue badge holders. Double yellow lines at the rear of The Bridgewater Hall on Great Bridgewater Street allow parking except during the hours of 6.00am - 8.00am and 4.00pm - 6.00pm.
Car park vouchers for evening events are available to all Bridgewater Hall patrons for the NCP Manchester Central car park beneath GMEX, Great Northern Phases 1&2 and Oxford Street car parks, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can purchase your car park voucher at a cost of £5.50 per car - a saving on the standard evening rate. Vouchers are valid from 5pm and can be bought when you purchase your concert tickets. Vouchers are also available for selected weekend daytime events - please ask at the Box Office when booking.
Contact Information
If you require any further information on access facilities at The Bridgewater
Hall, or if you wish to book accessible parking spaces, please contact the Box
Office on tel: 0161 907 9000 or e-mail box@bridgewater-hall.co.uk