Ice House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A domestic ice house built of rubble stone and brick on an oblong plan, comprising a domical circular chamber, mounded over on the exterior and approached by a rectangular passage. Entrance faces north.

Approach passage is now roofless with only the ruins of two side walls, built of brick. Entrance to chamber is segmental arched in brick, leading directly into a deep brick lined and vaulted circular chamber with a domical roof, partly rendered. Exterior is mounded over with stone and sods and overgrown, but some basalt rubble still clearly visible at rear.

SETTING: The structure is sited within an ancient rath which is overgrown and has a number of mature trees growing within it. The rath lies in a rural area, within the demesne of a country house. It stands to the north of the complex of outbuildings at Shane's Castle with modern saw mill buildings immediately to its north.

Historical information

Built by the O'Neill family as a domestic ice house on the Shane's Castle estate; precise date of building not known but it appears to be shown on the OS map of 1829 & 32 although it is uncertain; named by the OS map of 1858. The rath in which it is located is a recorded monument, no. ANT49:55.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1829 & 32, Co Antrim 49 (not named but a rectangular building is indicated within the area of the fort, which may well represent the ice house).
2. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 49 (named).

Secondary Sources
1. J. Irvine, 'Pigeon houses and ice houses in Co Antrim', in The Glynns (Journal of the Glens of Antrim Historical Society), Vol 14, 1986, pp 16-20 (for comparable examples, but no reference to this one).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is an example of a domestic ice house which displays typical structural form inside and is of local interest as part of the development of the Shane's Castle estate but it has lost some of its original features.

General comments

This record was originally numbered as HB20/04/059.