Accessibility
Message from The Dean
The Very Reverend Dermot Dunne, Dean of Christ Church
‘Everyone is welcome at Christ Church and we aim to provide the best experience for all our visitors and those who have made the cathedral their spiritual home.
We are working hard to improve the accessibility of our medieval building and, though it is not always possible to provide all the facilities we would like due to its historic constraints, we are continually looking at ways to better accommodate anyone who would like to spend time with us, whatever their requirements. We recently completed a full access audit of the cathedral and grounds and have a five-year plan to implement its recommendations.
I hope you enjoy your visit to our cathedral and that we can assist you in any way we can.’
Welcome
Our Welcome Desk staff will be on hand if you require assistance during your visit. This page outlines all the supports we currently have in place and our plans for the future.
If you have any specific questions about accessibility that you cannot answer here, please email us at ei.hcruhctsirhc@emoclew or telephone us on (00 353) 1 677 8099.
We encourage your feedback and suggestions to improve accessibility at Christ Church. Please email us at ei.hcruhctsirhc@emoclew
We also convene an annual focus group, comprised of visitors and members of our congregation with a variety of accessibility requirements, to inform our thinking about access issues. If you are interested in joining this group, please contact ei.hcruhctsirhc@ynnek.htur
Arrival and Parking Facilities
Requesting a free ticket
We are pleased to offer all disabled visitors – and an accompanying carer or assistant – a free ticket to come and visit. You can avail of these tickets when you arrive or book ahead online at Admission Tickets | Christ Church Cathedral.
When you arrive, please let us know if there is any assistance you require.
Worship is always free to all.
Wheelchairs
A manual wheelchair is available to borrow free of charge from our Welcome Desk. We recommend booking this in advance by emailing ei.hcruhctsirhc@emoclew or ringing us on (00 353) 1 6778099.
Assistance Dogs
Guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs are all welcome in the cathedral. Water for your dog is available outside the Main Entrance. We ask that dogs entering the building are kept on a leash at all.
Ear Defenders
Ear defenders are available to borrow from our Welcome Desk. We also offer Quiet Times for visitors who find a noisy environment challenging. Please see our website christchurchcathedral.ie for more.
Seating
Fixed seating is available throughout the cathedral and crypt. Portable folding stools are also available. Please ask a member of staff for a stool.
Parking
There is no parking on the cathedral grounds. The nearest car park is Q Park Christchurch on Werburgh Street. There are disabled parking spaces near to the pedestrian entrances of the car park and the car park is approximately 300 metres (985 feet) from the cathedral.
Pedestrian access to main cathedral and crypt
Entry is via the Southwest Door where there is a ramp with a handrail. This gives access to the main cathedral. There are steps and uneven surfaces throughout our historic building. Where possible, steps have white markings and/or handrails are provided.
Access to the crypt is via an internal flight of stairs with a handrail on one side and 17 steps. The stairs measure 109 cm (43 inches) across at their narrowest point. These steps can be difficult for people with limited mobility.
Pedestrian access to Belfry
Access to the belfry (possible only on a scheduled Tower Tour with a Christ Church guide) is via an 86-step narrow, spiral stairway, broken into two flights, and across an open gangway. It is not recommended for those with mobility issues, claustrophobia or a fear of heights. Flat shoes are required. Visitors must be over 12 years of age to access our belfry.
The entrance door to the belfry stairs measures 66 cm (26 inches) across at its narrowest point. The door to the gangway from the lower flight of stairs is the lowest and narrowest point of the ascent, measuring 52 cm (20 inches) across and 121 cm (48 inches) in height. The handrails on the stairs are not fixed and are made of rope.
Stairs down to the Crypt
Lower belfry stairs
Door to Gangway
Wheelchair Access
A manual wheelchair is available to borrow free of charge from our Welcome Desk. We recommend booking this in advance by emailing ei.hcruhctsirhc@emoclew or ringing us on (00 353) 1 6778099.
Grounds
Our grounds are fully wheelchair accessible. Please use the main gate when you arrive. There are bollards at the end of the path, at the entrance to the labyrinth. Access between these bollards measures 76 cm (30 inches) at its widest point.
Main gate
Approach path to Main Entrance across the grounds
Bollards at entrance to the Labyrinth
Our Viewing Platform is step-free but there is only stepped access from the platform to the lower level.
Our ‘Bone Conductor Sound Installation’ and ‘Tactile Bronze Model’ of the medieval cathedral, located on the viewing platform, both have step-free access.
Viewing Platform
Bone Conductor Sound Installation
Tactile Bronze Model
Main Entrance
Our main entrance, at the Southwest Door, has a ramp with handrails. This gives access to the main cathedral.
Access to the transepts, Lady Chapel and Chapel of St Laud at the east end of the cathedral are only accessible via stepped access (two steps up and one step down). We will be trialling ramped access to the North Transept shortly.
Ramp at Main Entrance
Crypt
Regrettably our crypt is currently only accessible to wheelchairs through the St John’s Lane entrance, at the back of the cathedral. This requires a detour of approximately 500 metres (1640 feet), part of which runs along a cobbled alleyway. Staff are happy to assist with this access. Please ask at the Welcome Desk when you arrive. The bollards at the entrance to St John’s Lane measure 173 cm (69 inches) at their widest point. St John’s Lane door measures 89 cm (35 inches) at its narrowest point.
Our long-term plan, subject to funding, is to install a lift between the nave and the crypt to improve this access in the future.
Belfry
Our belfry is not wheelchair accessible. We plan to record a short film of the bell-ringing chamber and our bell-ringers in action, for those who cannot manage entry.
Cobbled alleyway leading to St John’s Lane entrance to Crypt showing bollards
St John’s Lane entrance door to Crypt
Visitors with hearing impairment
The cathedral is equipped with an Induction Loop. Hearing aid users should adjust their aid to ‘T’.
We offer an ISL tour of the cathedral and crypt on our audio guide, which is included in your admission. Please ask at the Welcome Desk for assistance with this.
We also offer regular in-person ISL tours. Please see https://christchurchcathedral.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows for the next available tour and to book a ticket.
Our Listening Bench in the crypt is equipped with a hearing loop enabled handset.
Visitors with hearing impairment
Large print guides are available in English at the Welcome Desk.
We offer an audio-descriptive tour of the cathedral and crypt on our raised button audio guide handsets, which are included in your admission. Please ask at the Welcome Desk for assistance with this. The audio guide posts, situated around the cathedral, are equipped with braille numbers to aid navigation.
We are also developing a touch tour of the cathedral which will be available in 2026.
In the grounds of the cathedral, on the Viewing Platform, our bronze model of the cathedral c.1340, is fully tactile with a braille legend.
Accessible toilets
There are four unisex toilet cubicles in the crypt. Christ Church is in the process of designing and installing a new accessible toilet, with baby-changing facilities, which will be in place in 2027. Until then, the nearest accessible toilets are in the Leonardo Hotel across Christ Church Place and Darkey Kelley’s Bar on Fishamble Street. They are happy to welcome Christ Church visitors to use their facilities. Cathedral staff can assist you in locating them.
Attendance at services
Please let one of our Vergers or Cathedral Staff know if you require assistance at one of our services. There are designated wheelchair spaces available at all services, which staff can direct you to.
Our service sheets are available in English in Large Print.
If you are unable to go up to the altar for Communion during Sunday Eucharist, please speak with one of our vergers (dressed in black cassocks) before the service starts and they will be happy to make arrangements for you.
All our services are available online via our webcam at Live Video Stream | Christ Church Cathedral for those who cannot make it to the cathedral in person.
Attendance at events
If you require assistance at one of our events, please contact ei.hcruhctsirhc@stneve or call our office on 01 6778099. You can also alert us to any special requirements, if booking directly on the cathedral website, in the ‘Customer Online Checkout Comments’ section.
We aim to hold as many events as possible in accessible spaces and to provide as much information as we can on our promotional material. Events in our Nave are fully wheelchair accessible. Events in our crypt are wheelchair accessible via our St John’s Lane entrance (please see further information about this above). Regrettably, at present, events in the Henry Roe Room in the Chapter House are only accessible by a staircase with 26 steps. At the bottom of this staircase there is a handrail on both sides. Towards the top of this staircase there is only a handrail on one side.
Access to the Chapter House is also via an external set of two steps. A handrail will be installed on these steps shortly. The Chapter House door measures 91 cm at its narrowest point.
Stairs to the Henry Roe Room
External steps down to the Chapter House door
Access to Cathedral Offices
Access to our offices for business visitors is also via the external steps and Chapter House door illustrated above.
Cathedral Shop
Our Cathedral shop is in the crypt and accessible only by a set of 17 steps. Welcome Desk staff are happy to bring any items from the shop up to the Nave for you, on request. A brochure of our most popular items is available to view at the Welcome Desk. A large range of items is also available to purchase online at Shop | Christ Church Cathedral