BillyBob
08-15-2007, 09:23 AM
"In the days before refrigeration many estates would have an ice well. Generally this would be a brick-lined pit in the ground with a domed roof to control the circulation of air. It was often sited under trees and some way from the house. There would be some form of drainage at the bottom and the ice packed between layers of straw. This would be cut from nearby ponds/lakes or could be bought. Ice for commercial purposes was imported from Norway (1820's - 1921) and America (1840's). The ice well worked in the same way as a vacuum flask by insulating in the cold and excluding the warmth. Ice would then be available throughout the year or maybe last for two years. Because they were tucked away and vegetation was encouraged to grow over them their presence isn't always obvious. At least 2500 ice houses still exist in Britain."
"The manor of HANWORTH was owned by Henry VII and used as a hunting lodge. The house was destroyed by fire in 1797 and Hanworth Park House was built in the manor grounds in 1820. In the 20th century it was used as a hospital, hotel and retirement home. The ice house is located under a tree-covered mound near the Uxbridge Road/Hounslow Road junction."
Source (http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/articehse.htm)
'The Mound', as we knew it as kids, is around 600 meters to the right of Hanworth Park House, in the grounds of what is still known locally as Hanworth Air Park, in reference to it's use as a wartime airfield.
The source I quoted lists a few more, see if you can find any of them.
"The manor of HANWORTH was owned by Henry VII and used as a hunting lodge. The house was destroyed by fire in 1797 and Hanworth Park House was built in the manor grounds in 1820. In the 20th century it was used as a hospital, hotel and retirement home. The ice house is located under a tree-covered mound near the Uxbridge Road/Hounslow Road junction."
Source (http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/articehse.htm)
'The Mound', as we knew it as kids, is around 600 meters to the right of Hanworth Park House, in the grounds of what is still known locally as Hanworth Air Park, in reference to it's use as a wartime airfield.
The source I quoted lists a few more, see if you can find any of them.