Great Hall and Reception Room, Wills Memorial Building
ACCESS STATEMENT
History
 The Wills Memorial Building was given to the University by Sir George A Wills and
Mr. Henry Herbert Wills, in honour of their father, Henry Overton Wills (18281911), benefactor and first Chancellor of the University. It was designed in 1912 by
Sir George Oatley, in the Gothic style, and sited in an impressive position at the top
of Park Street.
 Construction of the Wills Memorial Building began in 1914, but was interrupted by
World War I. Work resumed in 1919, and the building was eventually completed in
1925; the opening ceremony was attended by George V.
 The focal point of the Wills Memorial Building is the Great Hall, which can seat up
to 800 people for plenary lectures, and 270 for banqueting.
 The adjacent Reception Room can also hold up to 200 for lectures and up to 250
for a standing reception.
Parking
 Disabled parking is available. The Event/Conference Organiser must liaise in
advance with the Conference Office/Security Services to arrange this.
Means of Access into the Building
 There are six steps to negotiate at the main entrance to the building.
 Level access via double doors to the left of the main entrance.
Toilets
 Disabled toilets are available on the ground floor.
Reception and Stair Access
 The Porters’ Lodge also serves as Reception and is wheelchair-height.
 There is plenty of room in the Reception area for wheelchair access.
 There is a passenger lift to take visitors to the first floor conference rooms (please
note that this is NOT to be used in a fire evacuation situation).
 Any visitor with a visual impairment will be assisted as necessary.
Great Hall
 Access to the Great Hall is via 36 wide, shallow steps or passenger lift.
 A loop system is installed for hearing impaired visitors.
 A lift is available to take wheelchair users/those with restricted mobility onto the
stage.
Reception Room
 Access to the Reception Room is via 36 wide, shallow steps or passenger lift.
 A loop system is installed for hearing impaired visitors.
EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURE
1.
Context
We understand that many disabled visitors will be able to leave the building unaided;
however, some may require assistance. We also recognise that what a disabled person
is prepared to do in exceptional circumstances may differ significantly from what they
can reasonably manage in their everyday activities.
There is a requirement under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) to
ensure that everyone allowed entry into a building is able to safely evacuate in case of
emergency. That requirement includes persons with disabilities who, for reasons of
their disability, may require assistance to safely evacuate the building. The Equality
Act 2010 underpins fire safety legislation – where an employer or service provider
does not make provision for the safe evacuation of disabled people from its premises,
this may be viewed as discrimination.
This document sets out the options available to disabled visitors in relation to egress in
an emergency situation. Please note that wheelchair users are strongly encouraged
to make contact with the Building and Learning Facilities Manager in advance of
their visit to the Wills Memorial Building to agree an emergency evacuation plan.
2.
Responsibilities
Conference/Event Organiser
The Conference/Event Organiser is responsible for ensuring the health and safety of
those attending their event and accordingly should refer the individual where
appropriate to the Building and Learning Facilities Manager for further discussion on
how they might be evacuated in an emergency situation. Any publicity materials for
events/conferences taking place in the Wills Memorial Building should include an
opportunity for disabled visitors to disclose any disability that may require additional
support and encourage wheelchair users to make contact to discuss emergency
evacuation procedures.
Building and Learning Facilities Manager
The Building and Learning Facilities Manager will work directly with the disabled
person to find the best solution within the parameters of health and safety/DDA
requirements. The contact details for the Building and Learning Facilities Manager are
as follows:
Rob Jenkinson, Building and Learning Facilities Manager
Telephone: (0117) 33 17737
(0117) 95 45872
Mobile:
(0785) 103 9036
Email:
R.Jenkinson@bristol.ac.uk
Disabled Visitors
Visitors are strongly encouraged to disclose in advance any disability that could result
in additional support being required during an emergency situation to the
Conference/Event Organiser. For wheelchair users, further discussion with the
Building and Learning Facilities Manager may be required in advance of the event to
discuss their preferred means of escape.
3.
Assisted/Facilitated Escape Options
Meet assistance at a refuge
Some disabled people are likely to need assisted escape. In these cases it will be
necessary to have a pre-arranged meeting place. A refuge point has been designated
to the right-hand side of the Great Hall for this purpose.
Buddy system
A buddy system may be the only way of alerting a hearing impaired or D/deaf person
to the operation of a fire alarm. The Conference/Event Organiser should ensure that a
steward is designated with this responsibility and for assisting the individual if
necessary should the fire alarm sound.
Make own way down stairs slowly
Some people who use wheelchairs may be able to make their own way down the stairs
if they have a little mobility. If this is the preferred mode of escape, they should wait at
the refuge point for the main flow of people to leave the building.
Move downstairs on bottom after main flow
Some people may prefer to make their own way out by shuffling down the stairs on
their bottom. If this is the preferred mode of escape, they should wait at the refuge
point for the main flow of people to leave the building.
Move downstairs in own chair with support
Some wheelchair users may be able to tip their chair on its axis and travel down the
stairs this way. Others may be able to do this with assistance. The steps are wide and
very shallow and there are two sets. The escape should only take place after the main
flow of people has left the building; the refuge point should be used while this is taking
place.
Move downstairs using handrails
Some people will be able to make their own escape but will require the support of a
handrail to negotiate the stairs. There are two sets of wide, shallow steps with
handrails. The escape should only take place after the main flow of people has left the
building; the refuge point should be used while this is taking place.
Evacuation chairs
Where this is the preferred method of escape and where the safe working capacity
(150kg) is not exceeded, the Event/Conference Organiser should ensure that an
Evacuation Chair(s) is brought to the most suitable part of the building for the duration
of the event/conference. The Building and Learning Facilities Manager can assist with
this. For University events, it is recommended that some stewards/helpers are trained
in the use of the Evacuation Chairs in advance so that they can assist with the
emergency evacuation if necessary. The University’s Fire Safety Officer can provide this
training. The escape should only take place after the main flow of people has left the
building; the refuge point should be used while this is taking place.
Wheelchair lifts
There is a series of wheelchair lifts to take people up the stairs towards the rear of the
building. The chair lifts are not suitable for heavy powered wheelchairs; they can hold
a maximum combined weight of 220kg and the lifts fail if this limit is exceeded. Those
using powered wheelchairs would be required to transfer into a manual wheelchair in
order to access this means of escape; there are two manual wheelchairs available in
the building for this purpose. The wheelchair lifts take approximately 20 minutes to
travel to their destination point.
Carry-down
There are a number of different carry-down techniques that can be employed.
However, in order to do this safely a manual handling risk assessment must be carried
out and a suitable team assembled and trained. For this reason, it is imperative that
the wheelchair user makes contact with the Building and Learning Facilities Manager at
least three weeks in advance of the event/conference if this is the preferred method of
escape. Event/Conference Organisers have the option of providing their own staff to
provide this service or buying-in an external company identified.
Cannot transfer readily
Those who cannot transfer readily should contact the Building and Learning Facilities
Manager in advance of their planned visit so that full consideration can be given to any
potential health and safety issues and to any reasonable adjustments that might be
necessary.