Cockpit At Yew Tree Mount

The Cockpit at Yew Tree Mount is an underground structure dated 1830, located in Painswick. It is built from squared limestone and is covered with earth and planting. Externally, a large rustic vermiculated stone spans an opening, allowing some light and air into a rectangular space that measures about 5 by 4 meters. This space features a recess above the opening and is accessed by a long barrel-vaulted passage with a flight of steps. Although small and unusual in shape, it is locally referred to as the cockpit. It is unlikely to have served as an ice-house due to the provision of light and ventilation, and it is said that the entrance was originally concealed within a garden store.