Ice House North Of The Lake, Manor Park

This is a late 18th-century ice house located north of the lake at Manor Park, West Malling, Kent. It was likely constructed after 1776, when Douce's Manor was built, and is shown on Pink’s Accurate Map of 1789. The structure is now largely concealed beneath a thick, mid-20th century concrete slab, which is not of special interest.

The ice house comprises a cylindrical chamber with a partially domed roof, approximately 10 feet in diameter and about 15 feet in depth, as visible above silt deposits. It is lined with handmade red bricks laid in a header bond. No side entry was evident during inspection, suggesting access was originally provided from the top. An expected drain leading to the lake bed was not visible.

The ice house is situated a few metres north of a lake on land that originally belonged to Douce's Manor. Pink’s Accurate Map of 1789 depicts an elongated oval structure in the same location, which may represent the mound covering the ice house, or a now-demolished overground structure. An Ordnance Survey map from 1885 shows a circular mound in the current location of the ice house, surrounded by a dotted line, but the dotted line is absent on the 1896 Ordnance Survey map, suggesting it was overgrown by that date. During the Second World War, a prison camp was established on the field where the ice house stands, and the top of the ice house was sealed with a concrete slab at that time. The land was later detached from Douce’s Manor and is now a Country Park.

The ice house is designated at Grade II for its historic interest as a late 18th-century feature associated with Douce’s Manor, its appearance on Pink’s Accurate Map of 1789, and its group value as part of the wider country house complex. It retains its intact domed chamber, despite the loss of its entrance and any original superstructure.