Optical spectroscopy, H-alpha interferometry, and near-IR mapping and photometry of the bipolar H II region S201 are reported. The observations are used to place constraints upon the energetics of the H II region as well as to provide a clearer understanding of the IR structure. The exciting star is coincident with a central bar of obscuring material and is of spectral type about O 9.5, and is associated with the brightest 2.2 micron point emission source. A detailed investigation of the IR continuum variation suggests a local extinction A(V) of about 23 mag and an associated hot thermal emission component with temperature about 700 K. It is concluded that what is observed is the external ionization of a nearby molecular cloud IC 1848-I.