Monument Type(s):

• MOTTE AND BAILEY (Medieval to Post Medieval - 1066 AD to 1901 AD)
• ICEHOUSE (Early 18th century to Early 20th century (pre-war) - 1700 AD to 1913 AD)

Summary

Scheduled Monument and Listed Building: A somewhat disturbed Norman motte (earthwork castle) which has nevertheless been shown to contain medieval structural remains, and is also of interest because of the Listed 18th century icehouse set into it.

Related records: None recorded

Associated Finds: None recorded

Associated Events

• ESA1107 - 1930 field observation by English Heritage
• ESA1108 - 1970 field observation by English Heritage
• ESA1109 - 1987 field observation by English Heritage

Description

'Adderley, Castle Hill, a natural mound, was used in the construction of a mound and bailey castle. Traces of the bailey can be seen to the east and much mediaeval pottery has been found on the site'. <1a>

Castle Hill, a natural mound, was used in the construction of a mound and bailey castle. traces of the bailey can be seen to the east and much medieval pottery has been found on the site <1e>

The mound is very large, 25ft high on the west and rising steeply from the pool…it has been adapted from a sandy glacial mound. The d itch on the N,W and S is 10-12ft wide . An ice house has been built (into it)..The top is flat, indented here and there with canine graves. The diameter at the bottom is 80ft, at the top 25ft. There are no traces of masonry associated with the mound, nor any traces of a bailey a s cottages now cover the area noted in 1930, when much C13 medieval pottery was found (now in Shrewsbury Museum). The site is known traditionally as Ethelred's Castle <1f>
The icehouse is situated in the ESE scarp of the motte <1g>

Ice house. C18. Red brick. Barrel-vaulted entrance passage leading to domed central chamber. No door at time of survey (June 1986). The ice house has been built within a motte (County A.M. no. 273) <2>

Evaluated for MPP in 1990-1: Medium score as one of 43 Motte castles; one of less than 10 Ice Houses <4>

Scheduling affirmed in 2001. Scheduling description: ->

-> The monument includes the earthwork and buried remains of a motte castle and an 18th century icehouse, situated to the north west of Pool, House. The castle is believed to have been the principal holding (or caput) of a Norman lord in the manor of Eldredelei (Alderley) and in the early 12th century was held by the Dunstanvill family. A roughly circular steep-sided glacial mound about 7m high has been adapted and used to form the motte. It is surrounded by undulating land and is approximately 65m in diameter at its base and 35m across the top. The summit of the motte is flat, but rises gradually from the north west to the south east. Quarrying for sand in modern times has modified the eastern and western parts of the motte, which in the early 20th century resulted in the discovery of sherds of 13th century pottery and part of a rim of a bronze cauldron. These artefacts are attributed to the final period of occupation of the castle. They appear to have been associated with a charcoal rich deposit and burnt soil, suggesting that the structures on top of the motte were burnt down. The top of the motte has been used as a dog cemetery. Three in situ grave slabs all date to around 1930. ->

-> In the 18th century a brick-built icehouse was inserted into the south eastern side of the mound. A barrel-vaulted entrance passage, 5.5m long, leads to a domed ice-chamber, approximately 3m in diameter. This type of icehouse is known as a cup and dome ice well. The lower part of the mound was dug away to form a platform for unloading and loading ice in front of the entrance passage. Some of the earth from the construction of the icehouse was deposited to the east of the platform to form a raised track. The platform and the western end of the trackway, as well as the icehouse itself, are included in the scheduling. The icehouse probably served as the ice store for Pool House, a farmhouse of 16th or 17th century date, extensively altered and extended in the 19th century. The icehouse is a Listed Building Grade II. ->

-> Ice was probably obtained from the pond within the narrow steep-sided valley to the south of the Pool House. The pond, which is approximately 0.6ha in area, was created by constructing a dam across the valley to the south west of the castle mound to retain the water flowing from the south east. Water levels in the pond are controlled by a sluice in the northern end of the dam. Although it seems likely that the ice was obtained from the pond, the relationship between the icehouse and the pond cannot be proven. Hence the pond is not included in the scheduling. ->

-> The memorial stones and all fence and gate posts are excluded from the scheduling, although the ground beneath these features is included <5>

The structure is situated below Castle Hill and Castle Hill Pool, between Adderley railway station and the south union canal. It is completely underground, reported to have a depth of 20m. And is constructed of brick, stone, earth and sand with an E facing entrance. The source of ice was the pool. <6>

Photographed during aerial survey in 2009. <7>

Sources

Search results generated by the HBSMR Gateway from exeGesIS SDM Ltd.