Ice Or Deer Cave, Auchinleck House

Probably dating from the mid-18th century, the Ice or Deer Cave is an ice and meat storing cave carved into the red sandstone bank of Dippel Gorge on the Auchinleck Estate. It features a short entrance tunnel, approximately 2 feet 6 inches wide, which leads to an egg-shaped chamber measuring roughly 12 feet high and 10 feet wide. The chamber was originally filled with ice and sealed with a stone lid.

The ice house was used for storing salted meat over the winter months. While the cave itself may be earlier, potentially serving previous houses on the Auchinleck Estate, its close proximity to the mid-18th century mansion, its drive, associated bridges, and Boswell’s Summerhouse suggests a broadly contemporary date.