Kaiser Chiefs at Lincoln Castle: Accessibility Review

Last night, I went to see the Kaiser Chiefs at Lincoln Castle. It was an enjoyable night, and the band played many of my favourite songs. The accessibility was pretty good, but as I will explain below, there were things that could be improved.

Accessibility

The “accessible” entrance

Upon arrival, we found ourselves in the Lawn car park, conveniently located right next to the castle. However, the West Gate, a mere stone’s throw away, was off-limits. Instead, we were directed to the East gate, a detour that could have been avoided.

Our journey to the ‘accessible’ entrance involved traversing the cobbled Castle Square while battling the crowds. While there was a designated lane for wheelchair users, the uneven surface of the cobblestones made the journey uncomfortable. I had to get up on the pavement, where there was a bit of a step, in order to get a smooth ride.

The West gate, in comparison, has no cobblestones and is ramped, so it would have been much more accessible and easier to get in.

it says on the castle website that the ramp of the West gate is “too steep” to be accessible. But I would argue that it’s more accessible than cobblestones.

Furthermore, the entrance was much closer to the accessible viewing platform and without the crowds, so it seemed like a no-brainer to use the West gate as the accessible entrance.

In reality, the accessible entrance was just the same entrance that everybody else used. So, there wasn’t anything special about it that made it accessible.

I hope that they make the West gate the accessible entrance in the future, as it just makes much more sense.

The West gate was not even opened to let people out at the end so everyone had to go out of the same gate which obviously caused a bottleneck.

The accessible viewing platform

The accessible viewing platform was good in terms of size. It was big, with plenty of room for wheelchair users, which is not usually the case at concerts in my experience. There were two levels. I am guessing the upper level was for wheelchair users, and the lower level was probably for ambulant disabled people.

There was an accessible portaloo next to the viewing platform but there should have been more than one because at the end of the night I was waiting in the queue for a while to use the toilet. it would have been better if they had an accessible toilet with more room inside though. These ones are very cramped and don’t provide much room for big power chair and a carer at the same time.

All the food was next to the viewing platform, which was good as we didn’t have to walk too far to get to it.

I had sweet-and-sour chicken and rice, which was very nice. There were also burgers, Greek Street food, and burritos available, so there was a decent choice.

What was not so good was that the platform itself was at an angle to the stage, so I couldn’t see the screen behind the stage. If the platform had been opposite the stage, the view would have been unobstructed.

I decided not to take my coat which turned out to be a mistake as I was pretty cold when it started to get dark. We asked one of the stewards if they had a blanket, and they made a call. Shortly after, someone from the medical team came and brought me a blanket, and I felt much better after that.

Other accessibility measures

There was a sign language interpreter standing in front of the stage, signing all the lyrics and dancing to the songs. I don’t usually see these at concerts, so it was nice that they had thought of it. I don’t understand sign language myself, but they seemed to be doing a good job and enthusiastically.

A hard walkway was laid down from the roadway to the accessible viewing platform, which I appreciated. This would have prevented anyone from getting stuck in the mud if there was any. The only thing about it was that the pathway wasn’t smooth. It had bumps on it, which is not the most comfortable when driving over in a chair.

What could be improved

• Make the West gate the accessible entrance rather than the cobbled east gate. And let people out of both gates at the end
• Have more than one accessible toilet next to the viewing platform to try and limit queueing
• Put the accessible viewing platform opposite the stage so we don’t have an obstructed view.
• Make the pathway to the accessible viewing platform smooth to make it more comfortable for wheelchair users.

Conclusion

Overall, I enjoyed seeing the Kaiser Chiefs at Lincoln castle, and I hope that they do more of them. It’s a great setting to have a concert, especially in the summertime, surrounded by the castle walls and historic buildings. However, I do hope that they make the accessibility improvements that I have noted above, as these will improve the experience for disabled people even more.