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Summary

Brick-lined, almost beehive shaped icehouse designed by John Veitch and built circa 1808. It was built into the side of a former quarry which was converted to a rock garden circa 1900. It could hold up to 40 tons of ice, enough to last the household for 2 or 3 years.

Location

Protected Status

• Registered Park or Garden (II*) 1000694: KILLERTON HOUSE
• Listed Building (II) 1098333: ICE HOUSE 220 METRES NORTH NORTH WEST OF KILLERTON HOUSE

Other References/Statuses

• National Archaeological Record: SS90SE17
• Old DCC SMR Ref: SS90SE/34/4
• Old SAM Ref: 29689

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• ICEHOUSE (Built, XIX - 1801 AD (Between) to 1900 AD (Between))

Full description

Acland, A., 1981, A Devon Family (Monograph). SDV128298.

Department of Environment, 1985, Broadclyst, 48 (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV133051.

Ice house 220m west north west of Killerton House. Circa 1808. Built by the garden designer and horticulturist, John Veitch. Brick-lined ice house, circular in plan with conical roof, about 7m high and able to hold 40 tons of ice. Brick floor and drain and three rackgrooves. Covered externally by rockery, approached through rockery and drystone walled entrance with massive rock hewn lintel and brick lined passageway.

English Heritage, 1989, Monuments Protection Programme. Single Monument Class Description: Ice Houses, 144465 (Un-published). SDV355949.

Site visit 16th October 1998. Early 19th century ice house built into the side of a former quarry later converted to a rock garden. External dimensions about 7m in height and 5m in diameter. Internally it is just over 6m in height with a diameter of 4.1m; it reportedly has a conical roof. A single narrow entrance gives access to the ice house about 4m above its base. The interior is brick lined and has 3 concentric recessed grooves, each over 1m apart, which perhaps supported timber floors and possibly a timber lining. Each of the grooves has 12 equally spaced radiating timber wall ties. There is an octagonal brick drain at the centre of the base from which runs a drainage channel, about 0.15m wide, which exits below the south wall.
The ice house is recorded as having been built in about 1808 for Sir Thomas Acland of Killerton House by the designer John Veitch. It has a maximum capacity of 40 tons of ice which was estimated to be sufficient for 3 years. In 1900 the ice house was incorporated into a formal rock garden, provided with a stone built, stepped passage way, about 5m long, and had its roof overlain and hidden from view by a rockery. The ice house has been fitted with electricity for display purposes and there is an iron grill across the inner entrance. Some account is given by Acland.

Beamon, S. P. + Roaf, S., 1990, The Ice-Houses of Britain, 242 (Monograph). SDV21550.

This large ice-house, almost beehive-shaped, was built in a former quarry, thus avoiding the necessity of excavation, and allowed drainage from the bottom for the melting ice. The rock garden was formed in about 1900 and at this time the stone façade to the ice-house was constructed, including the step down into the entrance tunnel. The structure of the ice-house is substantially sound although some damage has occurred to the dry brick lining above the level of the 'wall plates', only traces of which remain. In some areas the ends of the unsupported headers have broken and the brickwork above has subsided. At the level of each of the 3 'wall plates' there are 12 equally spaced radiating timber wall ties. The 'wall plates' around the circumference may have been used for the fixing of a timber lining and/or the highest level plate, for supporting a floor over the ice. The main drainage facility from the pit appears to be a drain about 0.15m in diameter running out from the base of the pit wall and passing in a southerly direction. The floor slopes towards this drain, which is covered by a perforated slate. There is also a central drain. The cavity construction is effective for despite water running down the inside of the outer masonry walls, the chamber is moisture-free. The bricks used are of a soft and porous nature. The top of the dome is rendered externally. The structure is fairly typical of ice-houses of this date except that it does not have a top charging hole. It is recorded that when this ice-house was filled in 1809, the task took 30 men more than 5 days to stow 40 tons of ice to last the household 2-3 years.

Oxford Archaeological Unit, 1995, Dovecotes, Monument Protection Programme Step 3 Report, Site Evaluations (Monograph). SDV28107.

Killerton Ice House. Large Ice-house which is almost beehive-shaped, built into a former quarry. It is surrounded by a rock garden. The ice-house was built in 1808 but its stone façade and steps were not built into 1900 when the rock garden was constructed. Condition is good and contains original features, such as the cavity walls, the wall plates and the timber ties.

National Trust, 2000, Killerton Estate Archaeological Survey. Part 1. The Park and Garden, 4 (Report - Survey). SDV341106.

Department of Environment, 2003, Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England (Devon) (Register of Parks and Gardens in England). SDV314512.

English Heritage, 2011, Heritage at Risk Register 2011: South West, 89 (Report - non-specific). SDV355280.

Generally satisfactory but with significant localised problems. Declining. Principal vulnerability collapse.

Historic England, 2017, Dual Designation SM: Ice House, Killerton Park, Broadclyst, Devon, EX5 3LE (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV360625.

Notification that Historic England are considering amending the List entry for the ice house. This is because the structure is currently both scheduled and listed. Historic England are considering descheduling the monument in favour of amending the List entry.

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England, 1017191 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

Ice house 210m north west of Killerton House.
The monument includes an early 19th century ice house in the grounds of Killerton Gardens. The circular ice house is built into the side of a former quarry later converted into a rock garden. It has external dimensions of about 7m in height and 5m in diameter whilst internally it is just over 6m in height with a diameter of 4.1m. A single narrow entrance gives access to the ice house about 4m above its base. The interior is brick lined and has a conical roof. Its walls have three concentric recessed grooves, each over 1m apart, which perhaps supported timber floors and possibly a timber lining. Each of the grooves has 12 equally spaced radiating timber wall ties. There is an octagonal brick drain at the centre of the base from which runs a drainage channel, about 0.15m wide, which exits below the southern wall. The ice house, which is Listed Grade II, is recorded as having been built in about 1808 for Sir Thomas Acland of Killerton House by the designer John Veitch; it had a maximum capacity of 40 tons of ice which was estimated to be sufficient for three years. In 1900 the ice house was incorporated into a formal rock garden, provided with a stone built, stepped passageway, about 5m long, and had its roof overlain and hidden from view by a rockery. The ice house has been fitted with electricity for display purposes and there is an iron grill across the inner entrance. Killerton Gardens is registered Grade II* in the Register of parks and gardens. All modern fencing, gating, and information boards are excluded from the scheduling, although the structure and fabric behind or beneath these features is included.
Date first scheduled: 25th November 1999

Historic England, 2017, National Heritage List for England, 1098333 (National Heritage List for England). SDV359963.

Ice house 220 metres north-north-west of Killerton House.
Ice house. Circa 1808. Built by the garden designer and horticulturist, John Veitch. Brick-lined ice house, circular in plan with conical roof, about 7 metres high (and able to hold 40 tons of ice), with brick floor and drain and three rack- grooves. Covered externally by rockery, and approached through rockery and dry- stone walled entrance with massive rock hewn lintel and brick lined passageway.
Date first listed: 20th May 1985

Historic England, 2018, Ice House, Killerton Park (List of Blds of Arch or Historic Interest). SDV360916.

Notification that the ice house has been removed from the Schedule of Monuments.
The national importance of the ice house at Killerton Park was recognised when it was scheduled in 1999. It was also listed at Grade II in 1985 on account of its architectural and historic interest. Although it continues to be of national importance as an intact example of an early-C19 ice house, this assessment gave the opportunity to consider whether or not scheduling is the most appropriate method by which to manage the monument. In this instance, it was considered that the ongoing management of the ice house is best achieved through the mechanisms of listing, and it should therefore be descheduled in favour of its listed status. The List entry for the structure is also being amended to better reflect its significance as a Grade II listed building.

Historic England, 2022, National Heritage List for England, 1098333 (National Heritage List for England). SDV364675.

Summary
Ice house. Built around 1808 by garden designer and horticulturist, John Veitch, for Sir Thomas Acland. Incorporated within a rock garden in around 1900.
Reasons for Designation
Ice House 183m west-north-west of Killerton House, at Killerton Park, built about 1808 and incorporated into a rock garden in the early C20, is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
Architectural interest: * As a skilfully-constructed and well-preserved domed icehouse built for a private estate.
Historic interest: * It forms part of the Killerton Estate, and was built for Sir Thomas Acland by the garden designer and horticulturist, John Veitch.
Group value: * It retains its historic relationships with Killerton House (Grade II*) , its pleasure grounds and park (Registered at Grade II*) which give the ice house its original estate context and good group value.
History
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 C17. These were initially built only by the upper level of society, but by the end of the C18 they were commonplace, and continued to be built throughout the C19. Icehouses only became obsolete after the introduction of domestic refrigerators in the early C20.
The present Killerton House (Grade II*) was built in 1778-79 by Sir Thomas Acland, to a design by John Johnson, originally as a temporary residence, though it ultimately became a permanent residence which was later altered and extended. At around the same time, Sir Thomas employed the garden designer and horticulturist, John Veitch, to lay out a landscape park at Killerton. From 1808 Veitch also developed pleasure grounds to the west and north-east of the house on land enclosed from the late-C18 park. The garden was further ornamented by features in the various styles of the day, including an ice house and a summerhouse (the nearby Bear’s Hut, Grade II*), built in about 1808 and 1809 respectively.
The ice house was constructed into the slope of a former quarry and when completed was able to store a maximum capacity of 40 tons of ice. During the winter months ice was taken from nearby ponds and stored in the ice house in order to provide Killerton House with ice throughout the year to help keep perishable goods cool. It is recorded that when the ice-house was filled in 1809 the task took 30 men more than five days to complete. In about 1900 it was incorporated into a rock garden that was created in the former quarry by head gardener John Coutts. At the same time a passage with stone-faced retaining walls was added at the entrance to the ice house and the roof was covered over and hidden from view by a rockery. In more recent times a metal grill has been fitted across the inner entrance.
Details
Ice house. Built around 1808 by garden designer and horticulturist, John Veitch, for Sir Thomas Acland. Incorporated within a rock garden in around 1900.
MATERIALS It is constructed primarily of brick, with limestone rubble facing to entrance tunnel and later passage.
PLAN Circular in plan with a covered entrance tunnel; approached from the south-west via a passageway.
DESCRIPTION The ice house is approached from the south-west by an open passage, added around 1900, which is cut into the slope and has retaining walls of limestone rubble. It consists of a brick-built entrance tunnel and the subterranean ice chamber which is covered externally with earth that acts as an insulating layer. It is circular in plan. The angled entrance has a surround of rough-hewn limestone blocks and a large stone lintel; it leads into the brick-lined, brick-floored, entrance tunnel with an arched roof. At the end of this is a second, narrower entrance which has a modern metal grille. It gives access onto the brick-lined ice chamber which has a domed roof. Its walls have three concentric rack-grooves, each over 1m apart, which may have supported timber floors and possibly a timber lining. The brick floor is some 4m below the entrance and has an octagonal drain at its centre from which runs a drainage channel that exits below the southern wall.
Date first listed: 20th May 1985
Date of most recent amendment: 7th February 2018

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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