Accessibility at Butser

Explore a fully-accessible outdoor site

Accessibility is really important to us, and we work hard to make Butser practical and comfortable for everyone. Our history and landscapes belong to us all!

A map of Butser Ancient Farm. The farm is divided into historical areas (Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman, and Saxon) with paths throughout. There is also a visitor centre with shop, refreshments, and toilets, situated beside the car park.

Butser Ancient Farm is a roughly 5-acre open-air museum, with a gentle circular path around our ancient buildings. Here is some more information about the site and what we’ve done to make it more accessible:

  • All our parking is free for our visitors. Our main car park is right beside the Visitor Centre and is fully accessible.

    Please be aware our overflow carpark is in a grassy field on a hill, so if you have any concerns about mobility you may want to be dropped off and picked up in the main car park.

  • All of our buildings, both modern and historic, are fully wheelchair accessible.

    The only exception to this is our Roman villa, which unfortunately has one inaccessible room. This shouldn’t impact your visit too much, though, as you can still get a very good view inside.

    Please note that some buildings may feature a slight bump on entrance.

  • Most of our visitors have no difficulty using mobility aids or pushchairs at Butser.

    The site is mostly flat, with a slight slope in places and grassy terrain underfoot.

    The whole site can be navigated on paths, which are made of hoggin (bonded gravel) and completely accessible.

  • Assistance dogs are always welcome at Butser. During day admission, pet dogs are welcome too!

    We provide dog bowls and water at our Visitor Centre.

  • We keep a wheelchair in our Visitor Centre for free use. If you feel you need it, please just ask!

    You can also reserve its use ahead of time by contacting us →

  • Our buildings feature information on signs, but if that’s not your preferred way to learn you won’t be missing out — our friendly and knowledgeable staff and volunteers are always happy to chat.

  • We have one disabled toilet located in our Visitor Centre.

  • Most of our ancient buildings feature open fires, which our staff tend to and monitor throughout the day. Many of them are semi-cordoned by ironware or raised up off the ground, but please take particular care around the fires if you are visiting with children or dogs.

    Also, please don’t put anything on the fire!

  • Because Butser is an open-air museum, we can’t 100% guarantee the atmosphere (light/sound/heat etc). Here’s some information about what to expect:

    Outside: Animal noises (goats, sheep, pigs), infrequent distant road noise, possible distant noise of modern farming equipment (harvest time only), exposure to weather, possible noise of local farmers’ crow scarer (spring time only)

    Ancient buildings: Smell of woodsmoke, touch and feel of furs/wood/straw, dim lighting, open fires

    Roman villa: Dim lighting, slightly colder than outside (unless hypocaust is running), a little echoey, short narrow passageways

    Gift shop: Modern lighting, music/background video noise, noise of coffee makers, busiest from 12am - 2pm and 3pm - 4pm

    Other information:

    Sensory-friendly opening: We sometimes offer special quiet opening mornings or days. See our What’s On for more information →

    Quiet spaces: During sensory-friendly opening hours, we offer a quiet space without a fire in one of our roundhouses

    Avoid the crowds: The site is generally busiest from 11pm - 1pm. Groups gather around the Visitor Centre, and around the activities or demonstrations running that day; you can ask where these will be at the entrance kiosk or contact us in advance →

  • Find our baby changing facilities with the toilets in our Visitor Centre.

  • We offer a variety of discounted tickets up to 50% off, including heavily discounted or free tickets for carers, under 3’s, and more.

    Please note some of these discounts only apply for day admission, not other events.

    To see all our discounts and get instructions on how to apply them to your tickets, see here →

  • At Butser, you can touch and try everything — from an ancient wheat grinder to the thatch on our roundhouses!

    We just ask that our visitors respect the site, and not engage in destructive play or vandalism.

    The only exception is the display in one of our roundhouses, which is open for viewing but clearly roped off to preserve the items displayed.

  • We serve light refreshments in our Visitor Centre, including hot and cold drinks, and sweet and savoury snacks.

    In school holidays, we also offer freshly-made local sandwiches and cakes, with a range of delicious options including omnivore, vegan, and gluten free.

    You’re also welcome to bring your own picnic if you prefer.

    Across the site you can find picnic benches, or if it’s wet you can cosy up on a bench by the fire in one of our historic buildings!