Ice Well

The following building shall be added:

SHIRE LANE (off) TQ 46 SW 785-/12/10007 Ice Well, High Elms Estate

GV II

Icehouse, c1850. Cambered brick entrance, cemented over, visible above ground. A curved brick passageway and flight of stone steps lead to a large flask-shaped main chamber. A small access is situated at the top of the chamber and a drain for melt water situated at its base. A later rectangular chamber was added off the pasageway and was used for storage for food. The well was used to maintain an even, low temperature all through the year, with a gated entrance set within a clump of yew trees to extract the warmer air. Approximately 2 tons, or 1,000 cubic feet of ice could be stored in the main chamber. It is not known for sure where the ice came from. There are several lakes nearby, but there was an established trade in ice from the Baltic in the 2nd half of the C19 and it could have been delivered from the docks in cartloads of 2-cubic-foot blocks and stored in layers with straw or hessian in between. This is an exceptionally large and complete example of an ice house.

Listing NGR: TQ4459163461