Thornham Bridge And Icehouse Adjoining North West

Thornham Bridge and the adjoining icehouse are located in Ermington and date back to 1818 for the bridge, with the icehouse being a later 19th-century addition. The bridge is constructed of coursed slate rubble, featuring dressed granite voussoirs for the arches and rounded granite coping on the parapets. It has a wide segmental main arch over the River Erme, along with a smaller round flood arch in the east abutment. The pier between the two arches is partly made of ashlar and may be remnants of an earlier bridge. A limestone tablet on the north side above the main arch bears an inscription and the date 1818. The carriageway is narrow and currently serves as a grass track. The icehouse, attached to the west end of the north side, likely dates from the later 19th century. It includes steps leading down to a narrow passage with a cambered brick vault and a niche on the north side of the end. The icehouse probably served Thornham House, which is said to have been built in 1796 and extended in the late 19th century.