Ice house

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Small, earth-covered domed structure, built as an ice house perhaps c.1840s. The building is set just under half a mile south of Glenarm Castle.

The structure is brick lined and covered in earth with bushes growing out from it. To the N there is a broad arched opening with rough stone dressings.

A short distance to SE of the ice house there used to be a segmental iron foot bridge with timber walkway. This bridge has been relocated, however, [?in c.1991] and now spans a section of the Glenarm River roughly 1.5 miles to the S (HB06/02/022B). The structure itself has been lengthened to cope with the topography of its new location.

A few metres to the N of the ice house there once stood a small church known locally as ‘Templeoughter’ (‘The upper church). This was apparently built in c.1445 but was in ruins in 1622.

Historical information

An ‘ice house’ is marked on this general site on the OS map of 1857, but not on that of 1832. A relatively recently built ‘ice house’ within the estate is recorded in the valuation of 1833, but its quoted dimensions of 34ft x 14 x 6 appear to refer to a rectangular building. On the 1832 map a rectangular building is shown on or next to this site- could this be the ice house referred to in the valuation? If so, then the present structure is post 1832.

A ‘rustic bridge’ close to the ice house is also marked on the 1857 map, but its name suggests a stone or timber structure, not the iron bridge which occupied the same position until recently. Photographic evidence suggests that the iron bridge was in place by 1872. The bridge itself was moved [c.1991] roughly two miles to the south and now spans over the stretch of river to the west of ‘Lord Antrim’s cottage’ (HB06/02/097).

The church ruin marked to the north again of the ice house on the same maps is that of Templeoughter (or Temple Uachtair- ‘The upper church’). This may have served as the oratory for the friary built at Glenarm in c.1445 (where St Patrick’s C of I church now stands). By 1622, however, this small church had become ‘utterly decayed’, and in the 18th century its remaining stones were used in the building of a row of cottages- ‘Beggar’s Row’ –further to the north nearer the castle. These houses were demolished in 1804.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.2977 Antrim Papers
2 View of Glenarm c.1769-c.1812 (painting in possession of Viscount Dunluce)
3 PRONI OS/6/1/29/1 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1832-33
4 PRONI D.3560/1/75 Watercolour of the ‘hermitage’ in the Glenarm estate by H. Goold, December 1850
5 PRONI OS/6/1/29/2 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1857
6 PRONI OS/6/1/29/3 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1903

Secondary sources
1 Rev. George Hill, ‘An historical account of the MacDonnells of Antrim…’ (Belfast 1873)
2 Jimmie Irvine, “A map of Glenarm- 1779” in ‘The Glynns- Journal of The Glens of Antrim Historical Society’ vol.9 (1981), pp.52-61
3 Hon. Hector McDonnell, “The building of the parish church at Glenarm” in ‘The Glynns- Journal of The Glens of Antrim Historical Society’ vol.10 (1982), pp.31-36
4 Felix McKillop, ‘Glenarm- A local history’ (Glenarm 1987), p.15

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Small, earth-covered domed ice house of perhaps c.1840s.

General comments

Previously recorded as HB06/02/022A.