The Oxford hotel
Drawing and text by kind permission of Jim Bates.

 Built overlooking the Ilfracombe Pavilion it is doubtful if this building began life on an architect’s drawing board. The vigorous homespun look suggests a builder’s DIY job making use of ready-made building materials and assembling them Lego fashion. They are so odd and unorthodox that they could be called ‘Mannerist’ or ‘Post Modern’. Victorians proudly announced themselves with oversize lettering giving the building a fairground look.