Building record 131/3/2 - Icehouse Tower at Great Moreton Hall

<1> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 56515 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

In the grounds of the Hall is a three storey stone castellated tower built as a summerhouse. This stands over a brick vaulted tunnel, leading to the domed chamber of an icehouse. Designed c.1841 by Edward Blore.

<2> Laurie I C, 1986, Ice Houses of Cheshire, /10 (Booklet-Leaflet). SCH3178.

Situated on NE corner of walled garden on E side of Hall at 75m. No ice pond but an unusual ice yard c.8m x 8m with surrounding 5m stone wall & an entrance gate from the stable court on N side. Ice yard is paved with central gully drain. On N side is a horizontal slit in wall through which ice was slid & which was cut in the yard after it had been flooded to a depth of c.0.5m in winter. Chute emptied to a path opposite the entrance to the ice chamber which was approached through an octagonal tower open to the sky which formed part of the design of the garden wall enclosure. Ice chamber has a small opening at the top of the chamber presumably to allow the person filling the chamber to get out

<3> Buxbaum T, 1992, Icehouses, /22-23 (Oral Communication). SCH1463.

<4> Oxford Archaeology, 1995, English Heritage MPP Step 3 Report Site Evaluations for Ice Houses (Unpublished Report). SCH3774.

Ice House with unique associated features. Ice House is under a mound attached to an originally entered via a mock castle-type gatehouse which was built as a summerhouse and is hexagonal and roofless. Ice house has brick vaulted tunnel which leads to a circular, domed chamber with dished floor. Unique feature is ice yard 8m x 8m. Recommended for scheduling.

<5> Beamon SP & Roaf S, 1990, The Icehouses of Britain, /220 (Book). SCH3775.

<6> English Heritage, Various, Schedule Entry (Scheduled Ancient Monuments Amendment), 30383 (Scheduling Record). SCH2950.

Located in the outbuildings of Great Moreton Hall, there is an icehouse and it’s associated three storey tower, together with a paved area in which the ice was made. The icehouse and tower are Grade II listed. The buildings are of local Peak gritstone and were designed as part of the all, having been built in 1841 by Edward Blore. The tower and garden walls are neo-Elizabethan and the icehouse must be considered as part of an elaborate architectural experiment. The icehouse is a cylindrical chamber with a domed roof built in brick. There is a trap and a drain in the floor and a small opening in the roof of the chamber. Access was through an octagonal stone tower, with three floors. The tower had a sloping passage in the wall on the left hand side of the door way which is now secured by a metal door. Rebates for a sealed door and hinge brackets on the outer door show how the chamber would have been closed. The ice chamber is partly under a mound to the rear of the tower and partly under the old ground surface. The tower is now roofless. There are fireplaces in the top two storeys (scorching is visible). The ground floor provided access to the icehouse. The upper two floors were either used as a summerhouse or as living quarters for the estate staff. To the north of the icehouse is a small stone-walled yard which gives access to the stable court. The yard measures 8 metres by 8 metres and the surrounding walls are 5 metres high. In the north wall there is a stone lined slit at chest height. The floor of the yard is paved and sloped quite steeply to a drain at the centre. The yard was designed to be flooded in winter to produce ice for the ice house. The ice was broken up and passed through the hole in the centre, a distance of 6 metres. The yard wall is linked to the tower by a garden wall of which the tower is a decorative corner feature. The surface of the paths which run through the complex have been excluded from the scheduling although the ground beneath is included (6).