Ice House In Folds Wood

The ice house in Folds Wood is a structure dating from the late 18th century or early 19th century, built for the Sandbeck Estate. It features ashlar limestone dressings on a brick-lined vault and is set within a rock-strewn earth mound. The entrance is located on the north-west side and is flanked by rubble retaining walls, which were collapsed at the time of the last survey. The doorway has a rebated round-headed surround and shows remnants of a curved band above it. Inside, there is a brick-lined tunnel with recesses on both the left and right sides, leading to another doorway that accesses an inner tunnel, complete with a step and ledge below hatch openings that lead into the subterranean vault. Estate papers from 1807/8 reference the completion of an ice house for the 6th Earl, which may pertain to this structure or to another ice house whose remains can be found at the east end of Upper Lake.