The Ice House

About The Ice House

This fascinating building was the height of luxury in the 1790 s when it was built ,ice was a rare commodity through the year and if you could produce ice in the summer ,you were indeed a force to be admired The huge central chamber was the repository for estate ice from the curling ponds and this ice could be kept frozen by careful insulation and produced in the warmer weather to add to sorbets and ice cream In the early 19 th cent ,ice would be got at huge expense from America and Norway and the pit could be filled with this ,much harder and consequently much longer lasting ice
The central chamber is surrounded by a food corridor that would be a sort of cold pantry
The building fell into disuse with the advent of refrigeration and stands now as a testameny to victorian ingenuity.
The Ice House can be found at Grid ref: NT 33353 67773