Ice House To West Of Park House

348/0/10008

MOGGERHANGER, MOGGERHANGER PARK, Ice House to west of Park House

13.01.04

GV

II

Ice house. Probably late-C18/early-C19, when Moggerhanger House was re-modelled by Sir John Soane and the grounds improved by Humphry Repton. The structure is covered by an earth mound, with the entrance exposed on the north side. Entrance is coursed ashlar and rubble sandstone. Central section approx. 2m high with cornice and arched opening with voussoirs, within which a recessed door. Stone appears to have been reused, some blocks have raised ashlar faces. Flanking the entrance, a pair of lower wings in coursed rubble stone with flat stone copings, that slope to ground at left side and to half height at right side. INTERIOR: Entrance passage is barrel-vaulted in coursed rubble limestone, short return walls with no door, beyond which a shorter passage with lower barrel-vaulted ceiling, then second short return walls with no door to ice chamber. Ice chamber is semi-circular in plan. Curved lower walls are Flemish bond brick; shallow saucer-dome ceiling is laid with brick headers, arranged in a spiral fashion. Filled with water at time of inspection (January 2003). HISTORY: The ice house is approx. 50m to the west of Moggerhanger (listed as Park House, Grade I) re-modelled by Sir John Soane in 1790-97 for Godfrey Thornton, a director of the Bank of England and 1806-12 for Thornton's son, Stephen. SOURCES: English Heritage Historic Parks and Gardens file GD 3088 RUP. Ptolemy Dean. Sir John Soane and the Country Estate. 1999.

Late-C18/Early-C19 ice house with a handsome stone entrance and well-crafted brick domed ice chamber, that has group value with the Grade I Park House (Moggerhanger), remodelled by Sir John Soane (to whom the ice house has been attributed), the Grade II Registered Moggerhanger Park, and the Grade II Stables, Kitchen Garden Walls and Outbuildings.