Access

Getting to the ICA

• Parking

  The ICA's main entrance is on The Mall which located near St James's park and is also a ceremonial route. For this reason parking is not permitted on The Mall. However, visitors can be dropped off and collected from outside the main entrance. Please note when driving that due to traffic restrictions that may be in force from time to time, it is advisable to use Admiralty Arch to enter and exit the Mall.

  There are parking meters in Waterloo Place and Carlton House Terrace, at the back of the ICA. There are also several blue badge parking spaces in Waterloo Place. Please note that a journey from any of these would mean using the Duke of York Steps (30 steps with a handrail), or reaching the ICA via Pall Mall and Trafalgar Square.

  There are car parks in Whitcombe Street and Spring Gardens, both off Trafalgar Square. There is one blue badge parking space on Spring Gardens. These locations are a short distance away from our main entrance on the Mall. This route is step-free.

• General information

  The ICA has one wheelchair available for use by visitors and requests can be made with Box Office or Sales staff.

  There is level access to the entrance from The Mall. There is one set of automatic sliding doors.

  All walking areas within the building are kept clear at all times.

  There is an accessible toilet located next to the main entrance.

Step free access inside the building, and advice for those with limited mobility

• Box Office and Bookshop

  The Box Office and Bookshop are both situated in the main foyer at ground level. This area is wheelchair accessible.

• Lower Gallery

  There are five steps leading down to the Lower Gallery or a platform lift (max weight 300kg) located by the entrance to the gallery. This is a staff operated lift.

  Large print exhibition text is available upon request at the Box Office.

• Studio

  There is limited step-free access to the ICA Studio. There is a step-free route, however it involves using a different entrance to the building, at Carlton House Terrace at the top of the Duke of York Steps.

  Once in the ICA Studio, there is 25 metre outdoor step-free route (via a platform lift) to accessible toilets at a neighbouring premises, with whom we have a special agreement. Please contact us in advance of your visit for more information at access@ica.art

• Cinemas

  Cinema 1 and Cinema 2 are accessible via ramp. There is space for two wheelchairs in each cinema. Please let us know at the time of booking as we may need to adjust the seats in advance.

• Theatre

  There is a platform lift (max weight 300kg) located by the entrance to the Theatre. This is a staff-operated lift: please ask a member of staff for assistance.

• Bar & Canteen

  Much of the Bar & Canteen is on ground floor level, however the canteen itself is located on a mezzanine level which can only be accessed via a set of stairs with ten steps.

  Table service in the ground floor can be accommodated for those who cannot use the stairs by speaking to a member of ICA or Arnold & Henderson staff. There is an intercom to attract the attention of staff, located opposite the bottom of the steps.

• Upper Gallery

  There are 33 steps leading from the Bar & Canteen to the Upper Gallery. There is limited step-free access to the Upper Gallery.

  There is a small passenger lift, but it is not large enough to accommodate a person using most large motorised wheelchairs (see below for lift measurements). The individual would be required to transfer from their wheelchair into a chair placed in the lift, and our staff would transport the wheelchair separately. The passenger lift is not in a public area. Our staff will be happy to assist with this process but it will not be suitable for those who are unable to transfer from their wheelchair or those using a motorised wheelchair.

  ICA Lift (serving the Nash & Brandon Rooms and the ICA Bar & Canteen): 

  Inside of lift 

  • Width – 0.87m 
  • Depth – 0.81m 

  Ground floor entrance 

  • Width – 0.57m 

  First floor entrance 

  • Width – 0.59m

  There is a temporary ramp that can be erected at our private staff entrance at 12 Carlton House Terrace (there are otherwise six steps from street level to this entrance). Using this entrance provides step-free access to the Upper Gallery.

  Accessing this entrance can be achieved by exiting from the main entrance, travelling along The Mall to Trafalgar Square, Pall Mall, Waterloo Place and then Carlton House Terrace. Please ask on arrival if you would like to use this entrance and our staff will be happy to help you.

  Large print exhibition text is available upon request at the Box Office.

• Nash and Brandon Rooms

  There is limited step-free access to the Nash and Brandon Rooms.

  There is a small passenger lift, but it is not large enough to accommodate a person using a large motorised wheelchair. The individual would be required to transfer from their wheelchair into a chair placed in the lift, and our staff would transport the wheelchair separately.

  The passenger lift is not in a public area. Our staff will be happy to assist with this process but it will not be suitable for those who are unable to transfer from their wheelchair or those using a motorised wheelchair. 

  ICA Lift (serving the Nash & Brandon Rooms and the ICA Bar & Canteen): 

  Inside of lift 

  • Width – 0.87m 
  • Depth – 0.81m 

  Ground floor entrance 

  • Width – 0.57m 

  First floor entrance 

  • Width – 0.59m

• Chrome (Mac and PC)

  Go to the 'Preferences' menu and either click the 'Zoom In' or 'Zoom Out' menu items, or alternatively you can use the CTRL key with the plus or minus to increase or decrease the size.

• Firefox (Mac and PC)

  Go to the 'View' menu and either click the 'Increase Text Size' or 'Decrease Text Size' menu items, or alternatively you can use the CTRL key with the plus or minus to increase or decrease the size.

• Internet Explorer 8/9/10 (PC)

  Go to the 'View' menu, 'Text Size', and select your desired setting. The default is medium. Alternatively, if you have a mouse with a wheel you can hold the CTRL key on your keyboard whilst scrolling up or down with the wheel to alter the text size.

  Please note: We are no longer actively supporting Internet Explorer 6/7. To upgrade please download the latest version from Microsoft.

• Opera (Mac and PC)

  Use the 'Zoom' function in the bottom right hand corner of the browser.

• Safari (Mac and PC)

  Go the 'View' menu and use the 'Make Text Bigger' and 'Make Text Smaller' menu items. Alternatively you can use the option key with + or - to increase or decrease the text size.