Claremont Ice House

Claremont Ice House

This early 18th-century ice house stands on Portsmouth Road, Esher, on the northern fringe of the Claremont estate. It is marked on the estate plan in Campbell's Vitruvius Britannicus (1725) and Rocque's estate map of 1738, indicating its presence from the early 18th century onwards.

The ice house is constructed of soft hand-made red brick, some burnt. The inner face of the dome employs alternating courses of stretcher and header bond, reducing to header bond towards the apex. It represents an early example of the cup and dome type, the most common form for the period.

The structure is set against a north-facing bank, with the passage facing roughly north. The chamber is approximately 5.18 metres in diameter, with the passage extending approximately 3 metres in length. The inner diameter of the cup is smaller than that of the dome, creating an inner lip at ground level. The cup survives intact although silted up. An iron pipe set into the north side of the cup descends to the base, but is now hidden by debris.

The southern half of the dome, including the apex, remains intact. However, the northern section was destroyed by vandals in 1969. The right-hand wall of the passage stands to vault height, though the left-hand wall survives in poorer condition. Sections of the barrel-vaulted roof remain intact on the ground. Minor 19th-century repairs in brick are evident to the right-hand side of the entrance.

Claremont is one of the most important early 18th-century landscapes in England, with structures by Sir John Vanbrugh, William Kent and Charles Bridgeman. Vanbrugh purchased the site around 1709, building a small villa for himself before selling it circa 1711 to Thomas Pelham-Holles, Earl Clare, from whom the estate derives its name. The Earl employed Vanbrugh, Bridgeman and Kent to enlarge the house and lay out the grounds. In 1769 the estate passed to Lord Clive, for whom Lancelot (Capability) Brown laid out the park and a new mansion by Henry Holland replaced the original house, positioned higher up the hill to command views to north and south.

The ice house lies secluded on the northern fringe of the park by Portsmouth Road, at the northern end of the North Terrace, with the pond visible from the house. The structure is very well documented, appearing clearly on the Claremont estate plan in Vitruvius Britannicus (1725), Rocque's plan, and later estate maps, which record changes in the shape of the ice pond over time. This documentation provides valuable insight into the role of the ice house and pond as both functional and ornamental objects within the designed landscape.