Changing Places Case Study: Warwick Castle

A Historic Challenge

Warwick Castle is a tourist attraction that boasts serious history, with roots going back to 1068 and the current stone castle dating back to the 12th century. Situated within Warwick Conservation Area, adaptations or changes at the attraction can be challenging due to the listed status of several buildings and the historic nature of the site. Warwick Castle, with the help of RISE, met the challenge head-on and has now successfully opened its first Changing Places toilet.

Accessibility was already high on the agenda at the venue and the new toilet will help make the attraction even more accessible, and enjoyable for everyone.

Adaptation of Existing Female WC

Warwick Castle, operated by Merlin, asked RISE Adaptations to help them convert an existing female toilet into a Changing Places toilet. The location of the toilet, inside the historic conservatory that now operates as a tearoom, was carefully selected to minimise disruption on site and give the greatest chance of planning being accepted.

The historic sensitivity of the attraction (Warwick Castle itself is a Grade I listed building, the conservatory, built in 1786, is a Grade II listed building, and both structures are situated within a conservation area) meant RISE assisted with a heritage report, planning consent, and produced a scope of works to demonstrate how the project would be carried out.

The project was completed in time, on budget, and took a female toilet, installed in the 1970s and transformed it into a modern Changing Places toilet, complete with shower facilities.

The works we carried out had no impact on any part of the listed building — we only removed the 1970s renovation aspects. And even this was minimal, with us simply removing stud walls, widening doorways and installing a new suspended ceiling.

RISE then went on to prepare the inside of the space, prepping walls, installing electrics, plumbing, and installing a wet room with adequate drainage. We installed Changing Places equipment including an adult size changing bench, ceiling hoist, and non-slip flooring. The space was finished off with a feature wall featuring an image of the stunning Peacock Garden, located just outside the conservatory.