Details

The monument includes an icehouse with a food preparation chamber atttached in
the grounds of Burton Manor College. The former hall with its gardens was
built in the years after 1805 by the Congreve family and the icehouse was
constructed in this period.
The icehouse is approached by two sets of stairs leading down into the
entrance passage on the south side, constructed of drystone walling and
revetted back to the stone built entrance archway which is mortared, There is
a second entrance on the north side, leading directly into the ice chamber.
This consists of a revetted sunken way leading down from the garden. The
southern chamber has an entrance passage 1.8m long, 1.25m wide and 2m high.
This opens onto a rock cut chamber with a stone vaulted roof. This is 5m long,
3.5m wide and 1.3m high. The floor slopes into the middle where there is a
stone-lined drainage channel. This area seems to have been for the preparation
of foodstuffs to be stored in the ice chamber. On its north side a short
passage leads into the ice chamber, 5.4m long, 0.8m wide and 2.25m high. It is
also rock cut with a stone vaulted roof, 3m wide, 5m long and 3.5m high with a
stone-lined well in the centre which has a soakaway drain. In the roof, on the
south side of this chamber is a ventilation aperture 0.75m square with a steel
grid. From this a short passage leads out to the angled entrance pathway. In
the roof of the ice chamber is a gas light fitting with four arms. Ice was
probably brought for storage from the mere 180m to the south of the icehouse.
Later there are records of ice being brought from the docks at Liverpool.
The post and wire fences to the north of the entrance passage and the wooden
fencing to the south of the southern entrance are excluded from the
scheduling, although the ground beneath them is included.

MAP EXTRACT
The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract.
It includes a 1 metre boundary around the archaeological features,
considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Icehouses are subterranean structures designed specifically to store ice,
usually removed in winter from ponds and used in the summer for preserving
food and cooling drinks. Thousands of icehouses have been built in England
since the early 17th century. These were initially built only by the upper
level of society, but by the end of the 18th century they were commonplace.
They continued to be built throughout the 19th century, when huge examples
were established by the fishing industry, as well as for use in towns.
Icehouses only became obsolete after the introduction of domestic
refrigerators in the early 20th century.
Of the thousands originally built, some 1500 icehouses have been positively
identified through a combination of archaeological and documentary research.
Although a relatively common class, most recorded examples with surviving
remains will be considered to be of national interest and appropriate for
consideration for either scheduling or listing. They are also generally
regarded as a significant component of local distinctiveness and character.

The icehouse at Burton Manor College is an important example of a late, rock
cut icehouse with all its original features intact with the exception of the
doors. The inclusion of gas lighting is a rare feature and the fittings
survive well. Also unusual is the presence of a food preparation area
incorporated in the design.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Books and journals
Booth, P H W, Burton Manor, the Biography of a House, (1978), 32
Other
Oxford Archaeological Unit, MPP Icehouse Assessment, (1997)

Source: Historic England