Accessibility

If you require a carer to facilitate your visit, one carer will be admitted free of charge. If booking online, please book an additional free slot for your carer.

You may be asked to present evidence to a member of staff on arrival (e.g. DLA or PIP letter, GP letter or similar).

There is ample disabled parking on hard standing near to the entrance of the Museum.

The majority of the museum is on a single level, with ramps or lifts providing access to higher floors. Pathways and entrances are broad, and there are several disabled toilets around the Museum.

There are wheelchair access points and viewing areas in our arena.

There are a limited number of wheelchairs available for use at the Museum, which are allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

There are several local companies in the area that offer a rental of a wheelchair for a day rate. We recommend Purbeck Mobility.

There are type T hearing induction loops on our newer interactives and subtitles on video content throughout the exhibitions.

Currently there are no upcoming BSL tours for 2025; we will be putting any upcoming tours on our website.

We welcome trained assistance dogs to the Museum. Our tanks are not fenced off, and you are welcome to touch and feel our exhibits.  Font is size 14 minimum on all exhibition text and colours have been chosen to ensure text is as visible as possible.

We have Braille guides for our exhibitions which can be borrowed at the Information Point.

The Trench Experience and War Horse to Horsepower exhibition do use sound effects which can trigger sensory overload. There are also smell effects in the Trench Experience. On our quiet mornings, these sounds are all switched off 0900-1100. Find out more about the quiet mornings here.

The Museum’s Special Events and rainy days during the school holidays are both very busy. If you would like to visit at a quieter time, we would recommend either a week day in term-time or on a sunny day in the holidays. Please call 01929 405096 for recommendations or more information.

For those who are hypersensitive to smells, we would recommend using the Café rather than the Main Restaurant (as the Restaurant cooks hot food), or eating at the picnic tables outdoors or the tables on the mezzanine above the Tank Story Hall. You are very welcome to bring your own food and drink to The Tank Museum.

Our free-to-use sensory backpacks include ear defenders, and we would recommend the use of ear defenders during Special Events and Tanks in Action for visitors who struggle with loud noises.

You can find out more about the wellbeing room, sensory backpacks, and communication cards below. You can view our Family Map here to locate the Wellbeing Room and more. To see where the mannequins are throughout the Museum, find out here.

The Tank Museum welcomes trained assistance dogs, including guide dogs, hearing dogs and support dogs. These must be kept on a lead and accreditation may be required.

Unfortunately emotional support dogs are not permitted inside the Museum at this time. This is because the Museum is a noisy, busy place and emotional support dogs do not currently require the accredited training that assistance dogs undergo to be able to cope with this environment.

Take some time out in this dedicated quiet space. Free to use, the Wellbeing Room is equipped with a sofa, children’s books, and a sink. Located behind the Shop, this space has been created for visitors who are feeling overwhelmed, visitors with additional sensory needs, as a resting space for chronic fatigue sufferers, or as a private place to breastfeed. It is also beside a disabled toilet with baby changing facilities.

For visitors with SEN, dyslexia, children, or those who want a simple, easy-to-read guidebook, we have released an Easy Read Guide, with larger text, images, and accessibility information. They cost just £2.49 – purchase at the Admissions Desk on arrival.