Travel and accessibility | Poetry in Aldeburgh

VISITING THE ALDEBURGH POETRY FESTIVAL AND ACCESSIBILITY

Introduction

We want all visitors to have an as enjoyable and accessible experience as possible at the Poetry in Aldeburgh festival. Below you will find details about our venue accessibility, our assisted performances, contact information, travel guidance, accommodation recommendations and ticket booking.

Contact

For more information about accessibility at the festival, please contact Ellie Rodwell (Operations Manager) at operations@poetryinaldeburgh.org. She will get back to you within five working days.

Download File

You can use this link to download a PDF version of this page.

Venues

Poetry in Aldeburgh Festival 2026 takes place from 5 to 8 November 2026 across five venues. You can find access information about the individual buildings below. Travel information for all venues is included further down the page.

Jubilee Hall

Address Jubilee Hall, 8 Crabbe St, Aldeburgh IP15 5BN

what3words ///shakes.swinging.available

Jubilee Hall is our main festival venue where almost all our events take place, and a few of our workshops.

From the entrance there are three steps with a handrail up to the box office, which is located in the foyer. There are no steps into the auditorium, and there is step-free seating in front of the stage. The majority of seating is accessed via wide central steps in an auditorium set-up.

Wheelchair access to the foyer, box office and auditorium is through a separate door to the main entrance. This is on the left-hand side of the building, accessible from Crag Path (on the seafront and behind the Hall), through the courtyard gates, up the ramp and into the foyer. Please tell us if you need wheelchair access when booking tickets, so we can open the door before the event to welcome you smoothly. We will have wheelchair-accessible seating reserved for every event in front of the stage.

There are two exits on either side of the auditorium. As you face the stage, the toilets are through the right-hand exit – turn left, 10m. The box office and entrance is through the left-hand exit.

There is an accessible toilet through the right-hand auditorium exit, next to the other toilets. This does not have a hoist.

The closest disabled parking is in Oakley Square approximately 120m south of the hall. There are also two disabled parking spaces just north of Jubilee Hall outside Gallery Cottage.

The Aldeburgh Bookshop will have a stall on the stage for buying books between performances. There are five steps up on to the stage and a hand-rail. There will also be a step-free satellite book stall in front of the stage with a selection of books.

Assistance dogs are very welcome. We will have water bowls available and there is easy access to the outside courtyard if needed.

There will be a Quiet Room backstage, for anyone who needs a break from noise or crowds. This will have comfortable seating, gentle lighting, pens and paper, books and water. Please ask a member of staff and they can direct you to the quiet room.

The Wentworth Hotel, Tiffany Events Room

Address The Wentworth, Wentworth Road, Aldeburgh IP15 5BD

what3words ///natural.chilling.solutions

The Tiffany Events Room is at The Wentworth Hotel, and is one of our workshop venues.

There are four steps up to the entrance with a handrail. Inside, there are two steps up and two steps down into the restaurant area. The Tiffany room is to the left through the restaurant seating (about 45m), step-free.

The venue is wheelchair-accessible. The Wentworth have two styles of ramp for all wheelchairs. Please tell us if you need wheelchair access when booking tickets, so the staff can assist you along a step-free and ramp route through the hotel to the Tiffany room.

Toilets are to the right of the hotel lobby, down a corridor. There is a disabled toilet with no hoist.

The nearest disabled parking is on Market Cross Place. There are two bays in front of The White Lion Hotel, next to The Aldeburgh Museum and promenade. These are approximately 150m south of The Wentworth Hotel.

Assistance dogs are very welcome. We will have water bowls available in the room and there is easy access to the outside through the hotel entrance if needed.

There won’t be a designated quiet space at The Wentworth Hotel, but there is general seating by the reception. Depending on the time of day and other hotel guests, this may be a quiet spot if you need a break from the workshop.

The Brudenell Hotel, Avocet Room

Address Brudenell Hotel, Crag Path, Aldeburgh IP15 5BU

what3words ///care.shark.latitudes

The Avocet Room is at The Brudenell Hotel, and is one of our workshop venues.

From Crag Path (on the seafront) there are six steps up to the entrance, then three steps up inside the lobby restaurant. The Avocet Room is down a corridor to the right, past the toilets. There are two steps down, turn right and the Avocet Room is through a door on the left. From Brudenell Street, there are 16 steps up with a handrail to reception. The Avocet Room is then down the corridor to the left as described above.

The venue is wheelchair accessible. Please tell us if you need wheelchair access when booking tickets, so we can welcome you smoothly. Enter the hotel from Brudenell Street. This has a small step onto the tiled entrance. Following this, there is a set of automatic sliding doors into the hotel and then a door to your left, which can be opened by a buzzer and which reception will unlock for you. The door is a pull door and therefore those travelling solo may need assistance to open this. If this is the case, please do make reception aware when they answer the intercom and they can assist. The lift is located at the end of the corridor to your right. Take the lift to the first floor and go left through the lounge to the Avocet Room. There is a ramp available for the two steps down to the room.

The toilets are outside the Avocet Room (10m). The disabled toilet is next to the lift, across from the lounge. It does not have a hoist.

The closest public disabled parking is in King Street (approximately 300m north) or Oakley Square (approximately 460m north of the Brudenell Hotel). There is also disabled parking directly adjacent to the hotel in their car park, but this may be reserved for hotel guests.

Assistance dogs are very welcome. We will have water bowls available in the room and there is easy access to the outside through the hotel entrances if needed.

There won’t be a designated quiet space at The Brudenell Hotel, but there is general seating by the reception, in the restaurant and outside on the terrace. Depending on the time of day and other hotel guests, this may be a quiet spot if you need a break from the workshop.

Please find further accessibility information and a guided video for The Brudenell Hotel here.

Crag Path entrance

Brudenell Street entrance

Address Aldeburgh Gallery, 143 High St, Aldeburgh IP15 5AN

what3words ///unlisted.craziest.sliding

Aldeburgh Gallery is our art exhibition venue for our Artist-in-Residence show.

There are three small steps up to the entrance, and there is a small step between the front and back exhibition spaces.

The gallery is not wheelchair accessible.

There are no available toilets within the gallery. The nearest public toilets, including a disabled toilet, are just beside the gallery down an alley on the right. They are 11m away.

The closest public disabled parking is in Oakley Square approximately 150m north-east of the Gallery, towards the seafront.

Assistance dogs are very welcome. We will have water bowls available in the gallery and there is easy access to the outside if needed.

Aldeburgh Gallery

The South Lookout Tower

Address The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout and Art House, 31 Crag Path, Aldeburgh IP15 5BS

what3words ///sunshine.paints.awakening

The Aldeburgh Beach Lookout is a small venue where we will be showing a film by local photographer and filmmaker Bill Jackson.

We will be showing artwork inside The Lookout and projected onto the outside of the building. The Lookout does not have step-free access and is not accessible via wheelchair. However, everyone will be able to view the projected artwork on the outside from Crag Path, which is wheelchair accessible and step-free.

There is a ramp up and down on to a wide beach walk-way along the seafront.

The Lookout is on Aldeburgh beach, on the other side of a low wall bordering Crag Path. There are five steps up and three steps down over the wall, with a handrail. There are 2m of shingle from the steps to the entrance. There is a small step up and three steps down into The Lookout.

The space inside is small with a slightly uneven floor. There will be two seats if anyone needs a rest.

The space inside will be slightly darkened as there will be short films showing.

Assistance dogs are very welcome. We will have water bowls available in the gallery and there is easy access to the outside if needed.

There are no available toilets at The Lookout. The nearest public toilets, including a disabled toilet, are on the high street next to Aldeburgh Gallery, approximately 300m away.

There is one disabled parking space right next to The Lookout at King Street car park. The next closest disabled parking available is at Oakley Square, 150m north.

Getting to Aldeburgh

By car

Parking: the nearest parking to Jubilee Hall is at Oakley Square car park (120m south). You can also park in front of the White Lion Hotel (150m north), King Street car park (300m south), or in the Aldeburgh Church car park (460m north west).
Disabled parking: all car parks above have disabled parking bays.

By bus

The 64 (First Eastern Counties) from Ipswich goes to Aldeburgh via Woodbridge, Melton, Ufford, Wickham Market, Saxmundham and Leiston (for more stops see here). There are regular services daily on weekdays and weekends.

The 522 (Borderbus) goes from Beccles to Aldeburgh, via Halesworth, Darsham, Saxmundham and Leiston (for more stops see here). There are regular services daily on weekdays, but none at weekends.

The 521 (Borderbus) goes from Yoxford (and at times Halesworth and Darsham) to Aldeburgh via Saxmundham, Leiston and Thorpeness (for more stops see here). There are regular services daily on weekdays and Saturdays, but none on Sundays.

For all services above, you can get off at either the stop opposite the cinema (approximately 120m south to Jubilee Hall), or at the stop on the high street, opposite Regatta restaurant and Munchies (approximately 300m north to Jubilee Hall).

By train

The nearest train station is Saxmundham. There are regular trains from Ipswich to Lowestoft, via Westerfield, Woodbridge, Melton, Wickham Market, Darsham, Saxmundham, Halesworth, Brampton, Beccles and Oulton Broad. These run very regularly on weekdays, but on weekends the schedule may vary. From Saxmundham there are regular buses to Aldeburgh. You can also get a taxi, which will take approximately 20 minutes.

By taxi

For taxi drop-off, please check the event venue you are attending, and use the addresses listed above.

Local taxi numbers:

There are several taxi firms that operate between Saxmundham and Aldeburgh (please be aware there may be a wait):

A2B 01728 633003
Gull’s 01728 602344
Hart Cars 01728 602009
HPS Cars 01728 605738
Miller’s 01728 603279
PSC Travel 01728 663357 or 07904107144
Swift Cars 01728 602986 or email: chris@swiftcars.biz

By bike

There are railings available in King Street car park for securely locking bikes.

Arriving at an event

Please arrive 10 minutes before the event or workshop begins.

Please inform us of any access requirements when booking your tickets, to help us with set-up. If you need seating that is step-free, close to an exit, or adjusted for visual/hearing impairment, please speak to one of our volunteers.

Please leave enough time (five minutes) to collect your ticket or pass from the box office at Jubilee Hall if needed. At busy times there may be a wait, but this is normally only a few minutes. The box office is located in the relatively small lobby outside the auditorium, so it may get crowded at points. If you need support, please speak to one of our volunteers or staff (they will be wearing badges).

We will not allow late arrivals after 10 minutes of the performance start time, unless in exceptional circumstances.

The book stall will be open between performances on and in front of the Jubilee Hall stage. This may be closed at points to allow our technical team to prepare for the next event.

Access to performances

When booking tickets, there are options to tell us about any access requirements you have, including: wheelchair accessibility, visually impaired, hearing impaired, assistance dog required, and other.

You can book a free Essential Companion ticket alongside a standard ticket if required. We reserve the right to ask for supporting evidence at the box office (such as DLA/PIP proof, Blue Badge, Access Card etc).

We are aiming to include captioning for selected performances at Jubilee Hall. The included events will be confirmed on our online programme soon.

We are aiming to offer BSL interpretation for selected events. This will be confirmed on our online programme soon.

There will be step-free reserved seating for those who need it.

There will be reserved seating for visually impaired visitors.

There will be a small Quiet Space backstage at Jubilee Hall for visitors who feel overwhelmed or need a break from noise or crowds. Please ask volunteers or staff for information if required.

There will be large-print workshop hand-outs alongside standard copies.

Accommodation

You can find our recommended accommodation providers and discounts on our website here.

The Wentworth Hotel has step-free rooms on their ground floor. They recommend calling to enquire about accessible rooms and for booking. Their telephone number is 01728 452312.

The Brudenell Hotel and White Lion Hotel have accessible rooms, a lift and step-free access. The Brudenell Hotel has an accessibility guide here and the White Lion has an accessibility guide here. You can call The White Lion on 01728 452720 and The Brudenell on 01728 452071 for more information and to book.

Visitors with medical requirements

We welcome visitors who need to bring medicines, equipment, food and drink to manage a medical condition. We have First Aid-trained staff on site. Please approach any volunteer or member of staff if you need support (they will be wearing badges). Visitors are welcome to contact us at operations@poetryinaldeburgh.org if you have any concerns or questions (response time five working days).

Photography/strobe lighting

If any events involve strobe lighting, there will be a warning before the performance and in the programme description.

There will be professional photography during the festival. If you wish to not be photographed, please ask a volunteer or member of staff for a coloured sticker so our photographer can identify you.

Trigger warnings

Trigger warnings for any sensitive content will be included before events by the host speaker.

​VISITING THE ALDEBURGH POETRY FESTIVAL AND ACCESSIBILITY

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​​Introduction