Reserved seating

We've had a few questions recently about why seats gets reserved for some people and not others.

Submitted by verity@portico… on 22 May 2023.

Why can some people reserve seats?

Our reserved seating system is really simple. If you, or someone in your booking, has a disability of any kind then you can request reserved seating that best meets the needs of the person with the disability.

For example, people with sight loss might prefer to sit near the front so they can see as much as possible. Somebody with autism might want seats nearer the back in case it all gets a bit too much. Sometimes somebody needs the front row because they have a leg in plaster or are recovering from a knee operation.

Our designated wheelchair spaces are the centre pew upstairs or in front of the stage - because those are the only places we are permitted to put wheelchairs for health and safety reasons.

There are a lot of different types of disabilities and we want to make Portico as accessible as it can be - bearing in mind there are some limits to what we can achieve with a building built in 1841 and with fixed original pews.

You can find out more about our accessibility here.