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Ice House Dodington Park (D1610/P58/1/56)
Before refrigeration, using ice was the only way to cool things, so country houses often had ice-houses to store ice year round. These were underground pits or tunnels with small entrances that were filled with ice/snow in the winter from where it could be taken as required for the rest of the year. This is the plan of the ice house at Dodington House which was drawn by Capability Brown, the famous landscape architect and gardener. It was conical in shape and utilised cavity wall construction in brick with a brick dome over the top. The dome itself had a timber and hatch roof to keep the sun off and so it could be wetted in hot weather to enhance cooling. This ice-house also had a bottom well that acted to catch melting water. Although it is not known for certain whether Capability Brown was employed to build it, it’s known that the roof was subsequently altered to accommodate a dovecote which is still present.
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