Heaton Park - A Study on the External Access Features [Part1]

I went to visit Heaton Park early spring. People were excited as the weather was getting warmer, birds were chirping every where, and the first green sprouts were making their way.

Heaton Park is located near my house, but it is part of Manchester City Council rather than Salford. It is a municipal park, in fact, one of the largest in the city.

It took awhile for me to eventually find out at which of the many entrances, I can get closest to the main buildings in the park. I also had the help of a website. I parked at where everyone else did, but it was still some walk away from the main buildings and Heaton Hall, which is a listed historic building and gallery.

This is a study on the accessibility features of Heaton Park leading to Heaton Hall. It concentrates on the northern side of the park, where most people would congregate.



For the first time disabled visitor, there is no information on where the nearest carpark is to Heaton Hall. People would need to call in first to find that out. I parked nearest to Heaton Hall but it is a 500 metres walk away. The accessible carpark is not easily identifiable. And car drivers may have been confused when parking in the larger car plot, aligning the vehicle oddly, as shown in the picture.




On further scrutiny, the embossed logo is embedded on the road to denote that it is an accessible carpark. It is about 150-200 mm in diameter and is hardly obvious from afar. I believe that the service provider do not want to spoil the view of the park by putting up signboards for the accessible carpark.







From the carpark, we find access via gravelled walkways that may prove to be difficult for some wheelchair user to manouvre on their own. However, the position of the walkway is optimum for most people.









Further along the walkway, you will see a tower in a distance and other walkways to choose to explore the park.











Looking at the other side of the walkway, near the carpark, you will find a 'Welcome to Heaton Park' notice board. Many people come to this area of the park to use the play area facilities. I noticed that it tends to be overcrowded with parents and children, and there is an access to the main buildings from the play area.









I found out later when I made an inquiry at Heaton Hall, that I could have entered this main gate if I had known the security code. It would lead to a vehicular access road that leads up to Heaton Hall.









From the main gate, one could access on this road with a car if one have mobility problems.











During peak season, the service providers provide a land-train that could pick up people enroute throughout the whole of the park. This is a stop for the land-train.