Ice House At The Mulberries

RODMELL

946/0/10045 Ice House at The Mulberries 08-JUN-06

II Ice house. Early to mid C19 date. MATERIALS: Built of clunch and brick with stone steps. PLAN: A rectangular structure about 7 metres by 2.8 metres with the roof an overall height of 2.1 metres with entrance facing south east. EXTERIOR: The structure is underground approached down a flight of 12 stone steps. There is a cambered entrance and the walls are built of chalk clunch coursed rubble with a barrel-vaulted brick roof of headers. INTERIOR: The floor has brick paving and no drain was visible. In the north western wall is a bricked up opening which is 0.89 metres wide and 1.09 metres above the floor. There are three circular brick apertures in the roof. The central one, 430mm. in diameter appears to be original and the other two were cut later. HISTORY: The ice house is shown on the 1873 Ordnance Survey map. It is thought to have been built for Rodmell Place, a large manor house demolished some time between 1835 and 1873. The source of the ice is thought to have been a pond located about 250 metres away from the ice house. STATEMENT OF IMPORTANCE: An intact example of an early to mid C19 icehouse, of a rectangular plan which is much rarer in Sussex than the circular domed type. It is also one of the only surviving structures associated with Rodmell Place, one of the two ancient manors of Rodmell, which was demolished in the mid C19. SOURCES: Sylvia P Beaumon and Susan Roaf "The Icehouses of Britain".1990 Ps 431-432. "Victoria County History. Volume VII." 1940 Ps 69-71.