Icehouse, Alva Woodland Park

The icehouse at Alva Woodland Park, dating from around 1830, is a rare seven-sided structure discreetly located on a bank that slopes steeply to the south. It features a gated entrance on the west side that leads to a low access tunnel, approximately 4 feet high, which connects to a gallery with a higher ceiling and a chamber at right angles. The building is constructed from random whin rubble with sandstone dressings and red brick.

Inside, the seven-sided gallery, which encompasses the chamber, has a floor made of stone slabs and a brick-vaulted ceiling with an access hatch. The walls are built of snecked rubble and include six brick-lined, voussoired segmentally-arched niches with stone shelves. A further door leads to a deep brick-vaulted ice chamber, which has an iron-lined access hatch.