The Horniman Museum and Gardens in Forest Hill, south London has launched a series of video clips designed to improve access to its galleries and Gardens.

Seventeen videos, hosted throughout the Horniman’s website, give a visual introduction to each space as well as allowing visitors to see a virtual journey from Forest Hill train station and bus stops nearby, and along routes within the Horniman including to the lifts, the Café and toilets. A further nine videos will be made live soon.

The videos aim to ‘demystify’ the Horniman for first-time visitors, especially for disabled visitors whose visit can be greatly enhanced by the opportunity to know exactly what to expect, before making their trip.

Connie Churcher, Digital Manager at the Horniman says: ‘The Horniman has lots to offer for everyone and is very accessible once you’re on site, but we know that visiting new places can be very daunting whether you have particular access requirements or not. We wanted to break down that barrier and show people exactly what they can expect during their journey, on arrival and throughout their visit. These videos are one more way for the Horniman to say “welcome, come on in”.’

The videos were created by Breakfast for Dinner in consultation with the Horniman’s respected Community Learning team and Access Advisory Group.

Julia Cort, the Horniman’s Community Learning Manager says: ‘These films are a major achievement for the Horniman’s external Access Advisory Group who helped the Horniman understand the importance of orientation films. We hope the films will make the Horniman more accessible and enjoyable for a diverse range of visitors, as well as potential staff members and artistic partners. We are very pleased to have them online but are always keen to improve. If you have any feedback on the films, please contact us through enquiry@horniman.ac.uk.’

Find out more about accessibility at the Horniman here.  All the videos can be viewed on YouTube or throughout the Horniman website.