Ice house, Kilwaughter Castle, Larne, Co Antrim

This is a well-proportioned ice house of the early 19th century (1800-1819), built as part of the development of the Kilwaughter estate and located in the Demesne townland near Larne, County Antrim. The ice house is constructed mainly of brick and comprises a vaulted passage leading to a vaulted, circular end chamber, all raised above ground level and covered with soil and vegetation. The main entrance, facing east, is a segmental arch of brick with stuccoed reveals, although some of the stucco has been lost. Projecting buttresses of roughly squared basalt are situated on either side of the entrance. The side elevations of the passage are brickwork with a vaulted roof partly covered by stones and sods, with significant vegetation growth, including a large tree on the north side. The west end has a roughly domical appearance, covered with basalt boulders and sods. The structure is set within an artificial hollow created on the sloping side of a hill, overlooking the main road and visible from it against a backdrop of mature trees. It appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1832. It holds considerable local interest and demonstrates social, cultural, and economic importance related to the period.