Building record 3321/0/6 - Icehouse in Castle Ashby Park

A mid 18th century icehouse in Castle Ashby Park. It is built of limestone rubble with limestone dressings and has a pedimented entrance with a flat-arched head. A three metre long tunnel leads the domed ice chamber, which is partially built into an embankment between two ponds. The brick ice chamber is five metres deep and is almost spherical in shape, with a drain in the centre of the floor.

{2} Icehouse. Mid C18, possibly with earlier origins. Limestone rubble with limestone dressings. Pedimented entrance front has doorway with stop-moulded jambs, possibly re-used, and flat-arched head. Short tunnel leads to domed chamber partly built within east end of dam between Park and Menagerie ponds. (Castle Ashby park and gardens are included in H.B.M.C. Register of Parks and Gardens for Northamptonshire at Grade I)

{4} The 500m long, triangular Park Pond is retained by a massive, 15m high earth dam at its north end (set in the east end of which is an icehouse of 1761, listed grade II).

{5} Undated photo;

{6} The icehouse at Castle Ashby was assessed by the Oxford Archaeological Unit in 1995 as part of the Monuments Protection Programme. It is situated 650 metres from Castle Ashby house within an embankment between two ponds (NGR: SP 868 593). It has a limestone rubble entrance with a pediment entering into a 3 metre long passage which originally had three doors. The brick ice chamber is 5 metres deep and is almost spherical in shape. There is a circular ice filling plug in the centre of the dome and a drain in the centre of the floor. The recommendation was that it should be scheduled.

<1> Palmer, J.E., 1983, Ice Houses, p.12-14 (unchecked) (Article). SNN57557.

<2> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 13/42 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<3> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F12 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<4> English Heritage, 1994, Register of Parks & Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England (1994, Northamptonshire), (unchecked) (Report). SNN1324.

<5> Photographs of buildings in Castle Ashby (Photographs). SNN111838.

<6> OXFORD ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNIT, 1995, Monuments Protection Programme Step 3 report: Site Evaluation for Ice Houses, Site 6 (Report). SNN113460.

Record last edited

Feb 13 2024 11:54AM