The Netty

Once a set of Victorian public toilets on St Giles, Oxford, now reimagined as two impeccably detailed hotel suites, The Netty is a bold and beautifully layered response to site, history and surprise.

Just moments from the Ashmolean Museum and the Oxford Botanical Gardens, the suites take their design cues from the surrounding city. A sense of irreverent theatricality is introduced through bold, custom elements - such as new high-cistern toilets finished in vivid pink and blue. These serve as playful, stylised nods to the site’s former life, bringing a sense of humour and contemporary edge to the space.

Set below street-level, the suites retain traditional pavement glass-block lightwells, creating an unusual and intimate spatial experience. Throughout the interiors, vintage furniture and found artworks are carefully curated to bring texture, authenticity and warmth. The pieces aren’t just decorative - they carry their own histories, offering a counterpoint to the crispness of new finishes and echoing the layered stories embedded in the building and its surroundings.

The bathrooms feature bespoke tiles, based on a 19th-century lithograph of the ancient Yew trees found in the

walled garden of the nearby Botanical Gardens - offering a quieter, more poetic link to Oxford’s natural history.

Custom tapestries hung behind the headboards and delicate cast plaster motifs allude to the Ashmolean’s

decorative arts collection, weaving together layers of narrative and place.

With high-gloss lacquered ceilings, textured wall coverings and an open-plan shower extending directly off the bedroom, these are not just for rest - but for discovery. Combining heritage references, bespoke craftsmanship, vintage finds and a dash of theatricality, The Netty offers a striking new take on Oxford hospitality - designed not just for overnight stays, but for stories.