Documents

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• Type

  Map

  Title

  Map for Ice House, HMP Castle Huntly, Longforgan, near Dundee (LB12870)

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600001074)

Summary

Description

This ice house dates to the late 17th century and is situated to the northeast of the castle. There is a semicircular forecourt set into the hillside with rubble retaining walls and a flight of steps leading down to the entrance. This is surrounded by later metal railings. The interior, seen in 2014, has a brick lined passage leading to the egg-shaped brick-lined ice chamber.

Statement of Special Interest

Probably dating from around 1692, the Castle Huntly Ice House is an exceptionally early example not only for Scotland, but also for the UK. While ice houses from the 18th and 19th centuries are fairly common in an estate context, earlier examples are rare and intact early examples are even scarcer. For a building type which has long ceased to be used and was usually discretely sited, many have been at later risk of collapse. Castle Huntly is therefore also distinguished by its excellent condition with the brick interior in good repair. Although it does not have an 'architectural' treatment to its entrance like some of the finer examples from the 18th century onwards, it is, in our current state of knowledge, amongst Scotland's earliest and best-preserved ice houses.

The storage of food was an important consideration for a large estate with many people to feed. With no mechanical refrigeration, keeping food fresh was vital and a variety of specialist buildings were developed for this critical function, of which ice houses were one such type.

Ice houses are usually freestanding and covered with either turf or thatch and concealed within a natural slope to keep them cool. The majority were built between 1750 and 1875, usually on an estate near a stable block or walled garden. In the winter they were filled with ice collected from nearby ponds or rivers and then used to store a variety of produce, such as fish, meat, and drink throughout the year.

While they are normally less obvious in the landscape than other ancillary estate buildings, ice houses are nevertheless an important building type as they tell us much about our domestic and estate history and they are an integral part of the suite of buildings that are associated with large houses.

E A Urquhart in his article about the ice house at Castle Huntly in the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland of 1959-60 notes that 'it would seem to be one of the finest examples extant' (p.248). Urquhart explains that there is a record of work being done at an ice house in 1692 and it is assumed that the record refers to the surviving ice house and that it was therefore built by this date. Urquhart suggests that ice houses were introduced to Britain (London) in around 1650.

Category changed from B to A, statutory address and listed building record revised in 2015 as part of the Scottish Prison Service Listing Review 2014-15. Previously listed as 'Castle Huntly, Ice House'.

References

Bibliography

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