Audit sheds light on improving access to cultural heritage sites

As one of the 15 Great Lighthouses of Ireland – on an island which has a lot of them – Fanad Lighthouse proved a particularly interesting subject during a recent commission carried out by access consultants About Access for Donegal County Council. Some obvious challenges were encountered, but the team left convinced that none of the issues should deter people from enjoying a fascinating attraction. About Access’s managing director Ian Streets tells the story.

[FOR A START, visitors need to be able to cover a bit of distance. It’s maybe 500 metres from the car park to the ticket office and then the same again to the building. But there’s a route for cars to the bottom of the lighthouse and there is step-free access to the museum.

The tower itself is not so accommodating, with 76 steps to the top and no logical way of making the climb any easier. We’ve recommended making more of an effort to include an interpretation of the features at the top of the lighthouse in the displays at the bottom of the steps; but even without that there is plenty to see.

The three guest cottages are not accessible, but the issues can be remedied in one of them – where there is space to improve the internal layout and to move the entrance to the back, where there is step-free access.

Among the general aspects of the site we looked at are: getting there, signage, interpretation, the gift shop and the information panels between the visitor centre and the lighthouse.

You need a car, because the bus service is very limited; but everything else is done very well and has great authenticity, which you would expect given that the tour guide is the lighthouse keeper, who is also responsible for maintenance and other duties.

We hadn’t carried out an audit on a lighthouse before, and you could say this one shed new light on some elements of our work. It’s still working and has an intriguing history – which includes watching for German boats approaching the adjacent Lough Swilly as a safe haven during the Second World War.

The work was commissioned as one of a series of access audits to improve accessibility at cultural and heritage premises such as a cinema, theatre and library. The principles behind our work are transferrable to any community: ageing properties are an essential part of a cultural offer, and they should be as accessible as they can be.

It isn’t possible to open up every site because it’s clear that accessibility wasn’t on the agenda when some of them were designed and built. But our experience in Donegal demonstrates a greater awareness now, exciting opportunities and a big incentive – inclusivity forms a significant part of bids for funding. All the sites we visited were accessible to some but not all. A common feature was a need to improve communication, because if you present people with enough information they can make their own decisions on whether it is worth a visit, avoiding disappointment and resulting in more happy customers. q • For further information on how About Access can help you and your properties, contact Ian Streets on 01482 651101, email ian@aboutaccess.co.uk or visit www.aboutaccess.co.uk