Travel, Accommodation, and Accessibility

British Studies in a Broken World takes place over three days from 5-7 July. All panels will be held in the Gisbert Kapp and all plenaries in the Education Building on the University of Birmingham’s Edgbaston Campus, conveniently located close to University station. There will be a wine reception in the Barber Institute on Wednesday.

Gisbert Kapp is 10 -15 minutes’ walk from the University train station, and close to the 98 and 99 route bus stops. It is situated on Pritchatts Road, past North Gate and on the opposite side of the road to the Alan Watts Building/Muirhead Tower.

Travel

University station is one or two stops (approx. 7 minutes) from Birmingham New Street, and trains run approximately every 12 minutes. To reach Gisbert Kapp from University Train Station, turn left out of the station and  follow the road down the hill to the left. When you pass the New Library, take the new-looking Road on the left and follow this up to Pritchatt’s Road. Here turn right down Pritchatt’s Road, go past the University’s North Gate, before taking corssing the road at the lights. The Gisbert Kapp Building is just to the left of the crossing.

We’re also very easy to reach by bus from Birmingham city centre. Please see the University of Birmingham’s travel directions and maps for more information on how to find us.

You’ll see this as you come out the station – follow the road away from it to the left (Copyright by Brian Clift via Wikimedia Commons)

Accommodation

For overnight stays, there are a few low- and mid-budget options nearby. .

– VenueBirmingham (the University of Birmingham’s own accommodation), very close to the conference venue.

– Birmingham Central Backpackers, in the city centre (10-15 minutes walk from Birmingham New Street).

There are also a number of branches of Travelodge and Premier Inn in the city centre, short walking distances from Birmingham New Street.

Accessibility

All the panels will be held in the Gisbert Kapp (G8 on the Green section of the Campus Map); in small lecture rooms on the Ground Floor, First Floor and Second Floor. There are stairs with handrails and lifts from the Ground Floor. The building has heavy fire doors, but these can be opened manually or via push-buttons.

The Education Building (R19 on the Red Section of the Campus Map) is a five minute walk from Gisbert Kapp. There most direct route involves a crossing Prichatt’s Road, turning left down the hill before turning right onto the University Road East (past the traffic barriers) and then turning left towards the Education Building. The entrance to the Education Building is down 3 steps and there is a ramp. The Vaughn Jeffries Lecture Theatre is accessible from the ground floor (via a side entrance to the right of the building’s once you have passed through the entrance), and also from the 1st floor, via a lift.

The Barber Institute (R14 in the Red Section of the Campus Map) is a little further along past the education building. There are 13 steps up to the main entrance which have handrails. The rear entrance is not manned and visitors with a wheelchair are asked to contact the reception desk via the intercom at the gates to the service yard. Staff will then meet visitors at the rear entrance and escort them via the basement to the main reception area.

There are toilets on most corridors in the Gisbert Kapp including an accessible toilet on the Ground Floor of the Gisbert Kapp which is located next to the cafe and an all gender toilet on the Third Floor. There are toilets opposite Lecture Theatres 1 & 2 on the Second Floor and on the Ground Floor by the Cafe.  In the Education Building there are accessible toilets on the first floor next to the lift. The Barber Institute has toilets on the ground floor, close to the main entrance. There is an accessible or adapted toilet on the first floor, in a secure area close to the lift. Visitors wishing to use the accessible toilet, as with the lift, should seek assistance from staff at the reception desk or in the galleries.

The main entrance to the Gisbert Kapp is up a gentle slope. It is a fairly direct route which avoids stairs. Turn left when exiting the station to follow the road down a relatively steep slope towards the rear of the New Library.Take the new-looking road on your left and follow it up a slope until you reach Prichatt’s Road. Continue along Pritchatt’s Road until you reach a crossing past the University’s North Gate. After crossing the road there is a gentle slope up to the building from there. The train station has lifts up from both platforms.

This information addresses mobility. Our plenary speakers will be equipped with microphones to make hearing easier in the Vaughan Jeffries Lecture Theatre. If you have any hearing or visual needs, please get in touch. You can email Chris on c.i.moores@bham.ac.uk with any questions or suggestions regarding accessibility.