Access Statement For The Old School House, Bolnhurst, Bedford MK44 2EN

Introduction

The Old School House is an old cottage style house providing guest accommodation on a ‘Bed and Breakfast’ basis. The nature of the building dictates some accessibility constraints and the following statement will provide more details. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require further details.

Pre-Arrival

• We are in a rural location and the use of a car is strongly recommended for our guests
• The nearest train stations are at St Neots and Bedford, both approx 6-8 miles distant
• Taxis can be found at both stations but require booking for outward journeys from the Old School House
• Brochure [text only] and menus are available in large print by prior arrangement
• We have a basic web-site [see future plans]
• We can be contacted by telephone, text message or e-mail [details below]
• Access statement is available with brochure on request or in room folders
• Due to the nature of the building we advise that guests with mobility or visual impairments are accompanied during their stay

Arrival & Car Parking Facilities

• There is a wooden house name sign at the entrance to the drive, on the gate and on the wall by the side door
• There are door bells on both the front and side doors
• Brass name plates are also located on the front and side door [small writing] To access the parking area there is a single five-bar wooden gate. This will be open/opened for you on arrival.
• A secure parking area is located in the grounds of the Old School House on a flat concrete surface lit by security lights at night.
• There are lights at all house entrances at night
• To reach the house from the parking area there is a short drive – sloping down -but drop off can be made on a level surface at the side of the house and we can assist at all times with luggage
• The access to the ground floor room is over level gravel with inset paved areas/stepping stones
• The access to the first floor bedroom is via the front door – level gravel path

Main Entrance & Reception

For guests staying in the ground floor bedroom [Garden Suite]

• Private exclusive entrance is via double French doors over a 20cm high threshold. Each door is 56cm wide
• This leads directly into the Garden Suite sitting room from where level access leads to the bedroom and shower room

Public Areas – General (Internal)

• Guests in the Garden Suite do not access any other areas, except by prior arrangement
• The door to the breakfast room is 74cm wide and 194cm high
• From the breakfast room there is access to a small sitting room via a door 67cm wide and 181 high. The sitting room has two armchairs and a small settee – seat height approx 40cm

Public Areas – WC

• Bedrooms have private facilities, there are no other public toilets

Breakfast Room

• Breakfast is served in the Garden Suite or in the breakfast room – access as above
• In both locations the furniture is movable and chairs with arms can be provided on request
• Breakfast menus are available at all times and can be provided in large type if requested
• All food is served to the tables personally by ourselves

Laundry

• Not available, although an ironing board and iron and trouser press can be supplied on request

Shop

• Not applicable on site – room folders give details of all local facilities

Leisure Facilities

• Not applicable on site – room folders give details of all local facilities

Bedrooms

• The ground floor bedroom is suitable for occasional wheelchair users who have some independent walking capacity
• Audible smoke detectors are located around the building
• Rooms have centrally operated wall or ceiling lights and lamps giving good light levels
• Rooms have televisions with remote control, cordless kettles and clock radios and a hairdryer. The Garden Suite has a small fridge.
• The Garden Suite sitting room has a sofa bed [available by prior request for +1 or 2 children] and armchair, small breakfast table [60cm*90cm], clearance 70cm, with two chairs, a nest of low tables and book/ornament shelves
• The door to the bedroom is 75cm wide.
• The bedroom has a standard double bed 58cm high with access from both sides. The room also has a dressing table and chair, bedside tables with lamps and a wardrobe and chest of drawers.
• The floor of the sitting room and bedroom is corded carpet
• There is a good contrast in decor
• It also has a dressing table/desk and chair, wardrobe, low chest used as table and bedside tables with lamps
• The floor has a short pile carpet
• There is a good contrast in decor

Bathroom, Shower-room & WC

• In the Garden Suite the shower room door is 68cm wide. The shower tray has a 27cm high lip and a pivot door gives access to the shower. There is a toilet 43cm high and a wash basin at 82cm high [no vanity unit]. There is also an electric razor socket above the mirror above the basin
• IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE TOILET IS A ‘SANIFLO’ SYSTEM AND AS SUCH SANITARY ITEMS, PLASTIC OR RUBBER ITEMS, WET WIPES, COTTON WOOL ETC., MUST NOT BE DISPOSED OF IN IT. BINS ARE AVAILABLE FOR DISPOSAL OF SUCH ITEMS
• The shower room has a laminate floor
• In the bathroom on the first floor there is a bath with 52cm high side. The bath has two horizontal handles. Over the bath there is a power shower
• There is a toilet – height 42cm with no side access
• The basin is set into a vanity unit and the bathroom has a laminate floor

Grounds and Gardens

• The Old School House has a small front garden
• There is a large garden at the rear of the property leading to paddocks with sheep. Some surfaces are uneven and sloping
• Within the garden there are several seating areas [additional garden furniture available on request] and all guests have free access to the lawned areas of the garden
• Outside the Garden Suite there is a level paved area with garden chairs and table, parasol for use of the Garden Suite guests
• Footpaths lead from both the front and the rear of the property into the surrounding coutryside

Additional Information

• There are five doors from which to evacuate the building and guests have notices in the rooms detailing the nearest exit and a mobile telephone number to contact us if we are not in the house
• The house is non-smoking throughout and we do not normally accept dogs or other animals
• We do have a utility room where wet outer clothing and boots can be dried and we have secure outbuildings where bicycles can be left at their owners’ risk
• There is also stabling on site for horse riders by prior arrangement
• Mobile phone reception is variable
• We aim to be available for our guests as much as possible and are happy to advise on local attractions and facilities. However if away from the house guests have a mobile number to contact us
• We accept cash and cheques but cannot accept credit or debit cards. This is explained in our letter of confirmation
• Please note that Satellite Navigation systems are unreliable in this location and we strongly advise the use of a map or do ask for directions when booking. Note School Lane is sometimes [incorrectly] designated Church Lane on some Satnav systems

Contact Information

Hosts: Michael and Wendy Levy

• Address: The Old School House, School Lane, Bolnhurst, Bedford, MK44 2EN
• Telephone: 01234 376754 – text to 07968 0546684
• Fax: n/a
• Minicom: n/a
• Email: enquiries@breakfastinbeds.co.uk
• Website: www.breakfastinbeds.co.uk
• Grid reference: 50 13’34N : 0 24’41W
• Hours of operation: The Old School House is our home and as such we are available most of the time. An answerphone is switched on if we are away from the property and we will respond to messages on our return. We would be grateful if you could aim to telephone before 10pm.
• Emergency number: 07968 054684
• Local public transport numbers: Available on request
• Local accessible taxi numbers: Available on request

Future Plans

• Our web-site and brochure will be updated with reference to our Access Statement as well as additional information about the Old School House
• The access to the Garden Suite is being discussed and the surface may be improved