RAH Facilities

[Simon B]

Didn't know there was one. Whereabouts is it?

Imperial College, entrance between the RCM and Queensgate. On the one or two occasions I've used it (during the Olympics when Hyde Park was closed, parking suspended for miles around and I had to drive into London to enable relatives who can only walk a few yards with walking sticks to get to the Proms) the charges were... eye-watering to a provincial oik!

[Ferretfancy]

I've had an e-mail from the Hall management saying that the new toilets on the ground floor at Door 12 are open during the day to all visitors to the Hall, although they will check tickets once the bars and restaurants open to ticket-holders (usually 2 1/2 hours before the concert). Maybe in the case you describe there had been some mis-communication about the policy within the Hall? It happens in the best run organisations. I suggest you carry on as before, and see whether you encounter the problem again.

As for disabled access, I think you are being a little unfair to the Hall here. The last big re-build did a lot to improve things, including the provision of a ramp to the side door at the new Door 12 porch. I'm sure anyone in a wheelchair who asked a steward if they could use the loo would be able to.

Thanks for that information Philip,I hope that it's all sorted out. I was refused admission to the ground floor loos at Door 12 a few days ago, even though I had been allowed to use them a few days earlier, but I'll try again next time I visit. My point was that disabled patrons would have difficulty in reaching the facilities outside Cafe Consort on the upper floor, but as you say, there is wheelchair access to the ground floor, so that should now solve the difficulty provided that the staff have been briefed. And now --- Enough already !

[PhilipT]

... the charges were... eye-watering to a provincial oik!

Tissues at the ready ... the current charge is £10 for the evening, provided that you book through the RAH ticket office. Spaces are limited, and you'll need to have (or buy simultaneously) a ticket for that evening's performance to get that rate.

[David Underdown]

Parking restrictions (other than residents' bays) are lifted on the immediately surrounding streets at 1830, it is £4 an hour before that (slightly cheaper in Hyde Park itself I think, as that is Royal Parks, ratehr then City of Westminster). Obviously those closest to the hall disappear fairly rapidly.

With regards to toilets, if the cafe bar is licensed, there is an obligation to provide toilet facilities I believe (though I suppose they could say those upstairs are they).

[Ferretfancy]

David

I had no problem accessing the toilets yesterday, I assume the penny has dropped ( If i may coin a phrase! )

[alywin]

As a regular Prommer, I've been pleased to see that the Door 12 entrance has been remodelled and now features a bar and cafeteria as well as the Ticket Office. However, there remains one scandalous situation, as there are only two accessible toilets outside the entrance to the first floor restaurant. These are the only loos available for the hundreds of people waiting in the queue,just two stalls, and this is forcing some people to make a trek into Kensington Gardens.

My immediate reaction was: what about the loos at Door 8? That's what we've been instructed to use in the past. BTW, I suspect the loos in the Science Museum would be closer than those in HP, from my one miserable experience of trying to visit them.

If your conscience troubles you about using the Beit Quad loos without being a customer then bear in mind that they are there because the Union Bar is open during the day. Go into the bar, preferably with some ID, and for the effort of filling in a form and paying the princely sum of £1 you will become a member of the Imperial College Union Refectory Club, which will entitle you, until the end of the following June, to buy drinks in the bar.

Thank you, Philip. With all the "can't serve you unless you're a student" notices or whatever they are around this year, I assumed there'd been some sort of change in policy (having, a few years ago, walked in and got a drink without any form of ID whatsoever). This is good to know.

1) Security bag searches. Is there any rhyme or reason to this? It is hugely disruptive in allowing the audience to enter the hall on time and wonder if the apparent randomness of the searches is prompted by any specific security concerns?

2) Interval ticket zapping. What is the point of stewards zapping tickets as the audience enjoys a breath of fresh air during the interval and then zapping them again on the way back in for the second half?. Genuinely perplexed about this.

1. It usually depends on the visiting artists, it seems to me (or whether trouble is expected). 2. Beats me. Having used a weekly promming pass earlier in the season, I note that those don't even have a barcode any more. Can only conclude that they think that clicking an old-fashioned people-counter is quicker.

I have never previously had problems at the Proms but this year they are running it like an open prison - with endless scanning and checking of tickets, clamping down on people eating even a light snack in the gallery, bag searches and some rather intimidating security personnel - I am wondering if there is a new management company in place at the Proms ?

Really? Can't say I'd noticed. Numerous people, myself included, have been eating in the gallery as per usual. And the only time I've had my ticket checked, apart from upon entry, is when staying in the gallery for the late-night Prom, which is perfectly reasonable.

With regards to toilets, if the cafe bar is licensed, there is an obligation to provide toilet facilities I believe.

I didn't think licensing had anything to do with it: thought that if you provided cafe facilities you had at the very least to make handwashing facilities available.

[PhilipT]

My immediate reaction was: what about the loos at Door 8?

They're not open all day. Door 8 opens when the Hall goes ticket-only - usually 2 1/2 hours before the start of the concert. At that point, ticket holders can enter the Hall to visit the bars and restaurants. Disabled patrons who wish to do that are strongly encouraged to enter by Door 8: there's a wheelchair ramp from outside, a disabled toilet just inside the entrance, and a lift to all floors (except, I think, the basement - the last time I tried that I ended up in a storeroom).