Rachael Gowdridge reinvents a Victorian public toilet as boutique suites

A former public toilet might not sound like the most enticing backstory for a boutique hotel, but bear with us. Located in the central reservation of Oxford’s busy St Giles, a set of black railings marks the discreet entrance to The Netty (slang for toilet in North East England), two subterranean hotel suites that make an art form out of adaptive reuse.

Tour The Netty, Oxford

The stay begins with a touch of theatre: a descent down a stairwell with tumbling ivy, chequered tiles and a bright red door. Inside the rooms, glass-block windows – remnants of the 1895 public conveniences – filter daylight from the pavement above, creating shifting patterns of light. ‘You have to give people a reason to want to sleep below street level,’ says interior designer Rachael Gowdridge. ‘The drama, texture and detail do exactly that.’

Inside, Gowdridge – whose portfolio includes The Hoxton Hotels and Gleneagles – has created richly layered interiors that make the most of the compact scale. Each suite measures just 22 square metres, with an open-plan shower extending directly from the bedroom, giving the space a feeling of cosiness rather than constraint. Prints and patterns play against glossy ceilings and textured wall finishes, while reflective surfaces maximise depth and atmosphere. ‘Designing something on such a small footprint pushes you to be more intentional,’ Gowdridge explains. ‘Every detail had to earn its place, but that constraint also gave us the freedom to be bold and expressive in ways that larger spaces sometimes don’t allow.’

The design blends crisp, new finishes with vintage furniture and found artworks, chosen both for their individual histories and for their links to Oxford. ‘There’s something deeply satisfying about turning a place people once hurried past into somewhere they now want to linger,’ Gowdridge notes. ‘We wanted The Netty to feel rooted in Oxford’s past, but also full of humour, softness and surprise.’

That spirit comes through in a host of custom details. Bespoke bathroom tiles are patterned from a 19th-century lithograph of the ancient yew trees in the walled garden of the nearby Botanic Garden. Behind the headboards, woven tapestries introduce tactility and colour, while delicate cast plaster motifs nod to the Ashmolean’s decorative arts collection. The result is a setting where Oxford’s cultural layers are embedded in the very fabric of the rooms.

The site had been shuttered for 17 years before its reinvention, and it remains one of the city’s most unexpected hospitality offerings. Much of its distinctiveness comes from the clients’ willingness to embrace eccentricity. ‘The clients came to us with a gem of an idea and total trust in the process,’ says Gowdridge. ‘It’s rare to have clients who want to celebrate history, play with humour and commit to such rich detailing all at once.’

That sense of playfulness runs throughout. ‘It’s probably the first time I’ve designed a hotel room around a toilet, but that’s what made it so much fun,’ Gowdridge reflects. ‘There’s a tongue-in-cheek energy to The Netty, but it’s also a genuinely beautiful space.’

The Netty is located at 1A St. Giles, Oxford, Oxfordshire OX1 3JS, United Kingdom.