Monument record 1255/1/2 - Icehouse at Toft Hall

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Summary

An Icehouse located within a woodland at Toft Hall. This is a good example of the common form of Cheshire icehouse, it is egg-shaped, with a tunnel entrance, and earth mound over the chamber. There is no public access. For a long time, there were few ways of preserving food other than salting and pickling. From the seventeenth century, the idea of an Icehouse was introduced to large estates. They were structures built to house blocks of ice to prevent them from melting. They were well insulated and partly underground. The ice was obtained from ponds and lakes frozen in the winter months. Sometimes fields were deliberately flooded by farmers to provide extra income.

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Type and Period (1)

ICEHOUSE (AD 18th Century to AD 20th Century - 1750 AD? (between) to 1930 AD? (between))

Full Description

<1> Laurie I C, 1986, Ice Houses of Cheshire, p.12 (Booklet-Leaflet). SCH3178.

Icehouse within a woodland ten metres west of the parkland lake and two hundred and fifty metres north-east of Toft Hall. A good example of the common form of Cheshire icehouse, egg-shaped, with tunnel entrance, and earth mound over chamber. Entrance recently boarded up. Cavity wall construction can be seen. No public access.

<2> Environment Agency, 2003-2020, Environment Agency LiDAR Surveys, Compsite DTM 1m 2022 (Digital Archive). SCH7819.

Oval mound with possible curving entrance way visible on this survey.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1909-1912, Ordnance Survey Second Revision County Series (Epoch 3) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire, SJ7576, 1909 (Maps and Plans). SCH4361.

This map depicts an oval mound at this location.

<4> Manchester Metropolitan University, 1995, Historic Cheshire Landscapes: Appendix 1 Selected Landscapes and Appendix 2 Full Inventory, Appendix 2, Toft Hall (Unpublished Report). SCH1356.

Icehouse (see 5).

<5> North West Landscape Group, 1985, Historic Parks and Gardens in Cheshire, p.31 (Report). SCH1367.

Sources/Archives (5)

<1> SCH3178 Booklet-Leaflet: Laurie I C. 1986. Ice Houses of Cheshire. p.12.
<2>XY SCH7819 Digital Archive: Environment Agency. 2003-2020. Environment Agency LiDAR Surveys. N/A. Compsite DTM 1m 2022. [Mapped features: #41022 Compsite DTM 1m 2022; #56322 Compsite DTM 1m 2022]
<3> SCH4361 Maps and Plans: Ordnance Survey. 1909-1912. Ordnance Survey Second Revision County Series (Epoch 3) 25 inch to 1 mile - Cheshire. SJ7576, 1909.
<4> SCH1356 Unpublished Report: Manchester Metropolitan University. 1995. Historic Cheshire Landscapes: Appendix 1 Selected Landscapes and Appendix 2 Full Inventory. Appendix 2, Toft Hall.
<5> SCH1367 Report: North West Landscape Group. 1985. Historic Parks and Gardens in Cheshire. N/A. p.31.

Related Monuments/Buildings (1)

Related to: Toft Hall (Building) (1255/1/1)

Related Events/Activities (3)

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Location

Grid reference	Centred SJ 754 764 (12m by 18m) (2 map features)
Map sheet	SJ77NE
Civil Parish	TOFT, MACCLESFIELD, CHESHIRE EAST
Historic Township/Parish/County	TOFT, KNUTSFORD, CHESHIRE

Protected Status/Designation

None recorded

Record last edited

Sep 4 2023 11:28AM