Icehouse in Grounds of Prior Park is a Grade II listed building in the Bath and North East Somerset local planning authority area, England. First listed on 11 August 1972. Icehouse.
Icehouse in Grounds of Prior Park
- WRENN ID
- drifting-basalt-tide
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Bath and North East Somerset
- Constituency
- Bath MP: Wera Hobhouse (LD)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 11 August 1972
- Type
- Icehouse
- OS grid reference
- ST 760 634
- Coordinates
- 51.36942, -2.3454
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The icehouse in the grounds of Prior Park dates from around 1755 to 1760. It is constructed from limestone ashlar with a brick lining. The structure features a lofty domed chamber that has a diameter of approximately 2.5 meters and an overall internal height of about 3.5 meters. This chamber is mostly hidden within the steep slopes between the fishponds and Ralph Allen Drive.
At the north end of the dome, there is a short approach tunnel that measures around 2.5 meters long, featuring a stone barrel vault. The entrance to this tunnel is barely visible above ground level and has been partially blocked by a later wall. Additionally, there is a small rough opening at a lower level that leads into the base of the main chamber on the south side. The chamber itself is lined with brick, and it is believed there is a cavity between the brick and the outer ashlar, which is filled with rubble. There are also some recesses at the springing of the dome, which may have once housed joists for a platform level.
On the south-east side, there are remains of walling forming a circle or octagon with a diameter of approximately 4 meters. This may be the foundation courses of a former thatched cottage that was attached to the icehouse.
Local climate
Icehouse in Grounds of Prior Park receives an average of 850 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 59% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 63% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 33 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 55% of listed buildings. Of these, 14 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
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- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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