Turf Hotel

The Turf Hotel, originally an inn at the Turf Lock of the Exeter Canal, was built around 1825 by James Green. It features slate-hung brick construction with a hipped slate roof and rendered stacks on the main range, while the rear wings have gabled slate roofs. The building is arranged in a U shape, consisting of a single-depth main range with shorter left and right wings, which are believed to have served as stables and outbuildings. A projecting water tower is located at the angle between the rear right wing and the main range.

The hotel is two storeys high and has an asymmetrical five-window front. There is a single-storey central entrance extension from the late 19th century, with a central front door and a second square-headed doorway with a fanlight and boarded door to the left of the centre. The windows are mostly boxed 12-pane hornless sashes, except for a three-light bow window with three 12-pane sashes on the first floor to the right. The right return of the main range features a two-storey canted bay window with 12-pane sashes on the sides and a central 16-pane sash. The rear right wing has a lower roofline and irregular fenestration, primarily consisting of small-pane 20th-century casements, and its end wall is brick, possibly rebuilt.

The rear wall of the main range includes a small projecting rectangular shaft for a service lift that is no longer in use, and the water tower is slate-hung. The interior has been modernized for hotel use but still retains some original doorways. The building is a notable example of slate-hung architecture and is situated in an impressive location, with large windows on the right-hand corner of the main range offering views of the estuary. In 1825, the Exeter Canal was extended south to Turf Reach, and a lock was constructed at the new entrance. James Green, the engineer, served as the surveyor of Bridges and Buildings for Devon from 1818 to 1841 and had previously worked under Rennie on various projects, including the Bude Canal, which began in 1819.