Introduction
The King’s Arms is a Grade II* listed Coaching Inn in the centre of the lovely market town of Dorchester. The King’s Arms offers a public bar, restaurant, outside terrace and 20 first and second floor en-suite bedrooms (16 further rooms will be refurbished in due course). We want all our guests to feel welcome and to have a relaxing visit. Where possible facilities are in place to accommodate all our visitors but the historic nature of the building means that there are some limitations to what we can offer as outlined in the following paragraphs. Please do call or email us (contact details at the end of this statement) if there is anything you would like to discuss or clarify.
Pre-Arrival
• If you have any special access requirements it is useful if these can be specified when booking to ensure any preparations can be discussed in advance.
• Specific food requests, allergies or intolerances can be arranged in advance, please state any dietary requirements when booking.
• Menus and information can also be provided in large print by prior arrangement
• You can enlarge the font on our website by holding down the Ctrl key and pressing +
• We are always contactable and all our facilities can be booked by:
– Internet www.thekingsarmsdorchester.com
– Email info@thekingsarmsdorchester.com
– Telephone 01305 238238
Arrival & Parking
Public Transport
• Dorchester is the largest town in the area and public transport is reasonable. There are regular bus services to Salisbury, Yeovil, Weymouth, Blandford, Lyme Regis and local villages. Bus timetables can be found at https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/travel/public-transport/public-transport.aspx
• There are two train stations in Dorchester. Dorchester South is a 12 minute walk from the King’s Arms and is on the London Waterloo/Southampton/Bournemouth/Poole/Weymouth line. Dorchester West is also a 12 minute walk and lies on the Heart of Wessex Bristol to Weymouth line.
• There are local taxi services that have accessible taxis if required, but they require advance booking. Please ask at the time of booking. Contact details for taxi services can be obtained from reception.
Arrival by Car and Parking
• The King’s Arms is easily accessible by car from the A35 which runs along the South Coast and also from the A37 from A303/Yeovil and the A354 from A303/Salisbury/Blandford.
• There are 30 car spaces at the rear of the King’s Arms (accessed from North Square/Friary Lane. Directions are set out on the Find Us page of the website. These spaces are reserved for overnight guests on a first come first served basis but should you require disabled parking please do call in advance and we will do our best to allocate a space for you.
• There is plenty of short and long stay car parking in the town centre. Acland Road (short stay) and Top O’Town (long stay) are the closest. Full details on the town centre car parks can be found at https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/parking/find-a-carpark/find-a-car-park.aspx#/ .
• There are disabled car parking spaces in both the short and long stay car parks. The short stay spaces are closer to the hotel. There is some parking on North Square in the vicinity of the building although these are not disabled spaces and the number of spaces is limited.
• If you require assistance of any kind, please just ask. We are very happy to help with wheelchair pushing or carrying luggage.
Inside The King’s Arms
Main Entrance & Ground Floor Accessibility
• The King’s Arms can be entered through the main door from the High Street or from the rear car park.
• The main door from the High Street is open during our trading hours – generally 0800-2300 – see website or call for up to date information. The door will be locked outside these hours and residents will be given a key card to the door at check-in in case of late returns.
• There is a step up to the main door from the street. We hold a ramp for ease of access – please call reception.
• Access from the rear car park is down 4 steps to the terrace and rear entrance.
• Once inside the building there is level access to all ground floor areas.
• There is a fully accessible disabled toilet on the ground floor accessed off the central corridor which is easily accessible for wheelchairs.
• The flooring is solid wooden throughout the bar, Old Smoking Room and restaurant. The reception and corridor areas are tiled with a carpet runner in the corridor. There are some rugs on the solid floors.
• Once through the main two entrance doors any further doors are generally kept open during trading hours.
Public Areas
• All the public areas at The King’s Arms are on the ground floor with the exception of the Casterbridge Room on the first floor.
• All doors and corridors are wide enough for a wheelchair.
• There is a toilet suitable for wheelchair users on the ground floor off the corridor to the rear of the building.
• Our menus change regularly but we can arrange larger font menus with advance notice.
• Dogs are allowed in the bar, old smoking room and the terrace on a lead. We can provide water in a bowl upon request.
• The furniture in both restaurant and bar is flexible and can be moved on request to accommodate wheelchairs.
• Tables vary in height from 50 to 103 cm. The majority are around 70 to 75 cm.
• The bar measures at 120 cm tall.
• The narrowest door on the ground floor is 74cm wide but the majority are much wider. There are double doors into the bar, restaurant and Old Smoking Room.
• Lighting is good in all areas, although lights are dimmed in the restaurant during the evening service to create atmosphere.
• Background music is played in the public bar and restaurant areas and the volume is controllable.
First Floor Casterbridge Room
The Casterbridge Room is a large function room on the first floor. This not currently open to the public but will be refurbished shortly. There is a lift capable of taking a wheelchair between the ground and first floors. Our staff will be pleased to assist. There are 3 steps down and 3 steps up between the lift and the door to the Casterbridge Room and a fire door.
Terrace
• We have a lovely landscaped terrace with seating and tables. There is level access to this area from the restaurant and corridor.
Bedrooms
• There are 20 en-suite bedrooms, all are located on the first and second floors. All rooms are accessed via a central staircase. There are also a number of steps at varying locations in the corridors.
• There is a lift from the ground to first and second floors. Three bedrooms are accessible from this lift without further steps (Rooms 108, 200 & 201). A further five rooms will have level access from the lift in the future.
• There are no doors in the corridor areas between the lift and Rooms 108, 200 & 201.
• Most bedrooms contain no internal steps but the following rooms do contain steps into the room and/or into the bathroom – 102, 202, 203, & 204.
• Assistance dogs, such as Guide Dogs, are welcome to stay in the rooms.
Lift
• There is a lift between ground and second floors. The internal dimensions of the lift are 133 deep x 80 cm wide and the door is 77cm wide. The lift has recently been fully refurbished but unfortunately the age and configuration of the building means that the lift does not meet modern DDA standards.
We regret that as The King’s Arms is a very old, listed building, full wheelchair access to the upper floors is not possible. Unfortunately, the design and age of the building does not allow for the provision of fully accessible bedrooms. Fully accessible ground floor bedrooms will be provided in the next phase of refurbishment. That said our staff are here to help in any way we can and please do discuss any requirements or questions in advance. In particular please do call if you would like to discuss accessibility to the rooms or would like to be allocated a room close to the lift and stair.
Additional Information
• Mobile phone reception varies depending on network provider but there is excellent wifi throughout the hotel. All bedrooms have telephones and calls to UK numbers are free.
• We are a no smoking building throughout. Smoking is only permitted in the open courtyard area.
• If any food or medication requires refrigeration, please ask and these can be stored in our main fridge on request.
• We have tried to be as accurate and provide as much detail as we can in our Access Statement. We are always willing to give information on any specific aspect of The King’s Arms if this statement does not answer your particular requirement.
• Please inform us by telephone, email or letter of any specific requirements, giving us as much detail and advance notice as possible, so we can make your visit as comfortable as possible
The King’s Arms Tel: 01305 238238
30 High East Street Email: info@thekingsarmsdorchester.com
Dorchester
Dorset
DT1 1HF
We hope you enjoy your visit!