Ice House, Shane's Castle Park, Antrim, Co Antrim

This is a domestic ice house located within Shane's Castle Park, Co Antrim, likely constructed between 1820 and 1839. It is of local interest as part of the development of the Shane's Castle estate, though some original features have been lost.

The ice house is built of rubble stone and brick, set upon an oblong plan. It comprises a domical, circular chamber, covered by a mound on the exterior and accessed by a rectangular passage. The entrance, facing north, leads through a segmental arched brick doorway into a deep, brick lined and vaulted circular chamber with a domical roof, partially rendered. The external mound is constructed of stone and sods and is overgrown, although some basalt rubble is still visible at the rear. The approach passage is now roofless, with only the ruins of two brick side walls remaining.

The structure was built by the O'Neill family within an ancient rath, which is now overgrown with mature trees. The rath is a recorded monument (ANT49:55). The ice house appears on Ordnance Survey maps of 1829 and 1832, although unnamed, with a rectangular building indicated within the area of the fort. It was named on the 1858 Ordnance Survey map. It is situated in a rural location within the demesne of Shane's Castle, standing north of the outbuildings complex and adjacent to more recent sawmill buildings.