Everything about Icehouse Building totally explained
» A mobile structure used in ice fishing may also be known as an icehouse
Ice houses were buildings used to store
ice throughout the year, prior to the invention of the
refrigerator. The most common designs involved underground chambers, usually man-made, which were built close to natural sources of winter ice such as freshwater lakes.
During the
winter, ice and
snow would be taken into the ice house and packed with insulation, often
straw or
sawdust. It would remain frozen for many months, often until the following winter, and could be used as a source of ice during
summer months. This could be used simply to cool drinks, or allow
ice-cream and
sorbet desserts to be prepared.
History
An inscription from 1700 BC in northwest Iraq (which was part of ancient Persia) records the construction of an icehouse, "which never before had any king built." In China, archaeologists have found remains of ice pits from the seventh century BC, and references suggest they were still in use before 1100 BC. Alexander the Great around 300 BC stored snow in pits dug for that purpose. In Rome in the third century AD, snow was imported from the mountains, stored in straw-covered pits, and sold from snow shops. The ice formed in the bottom of the pits sold at a higher price than the snow on top.
Ice houses in the U.S.
Ice houses allowed a trade in ice that was a major part of the early economy of the
New England region of the United States, which saw fortunes made by people who shipped ice in straw-packed ships to the southern U.S. and throughout the
Caribbean Sea. In winter months, ice was chopped from a lake surface and often dragged by sledge to the ice house, and in summer months, was delivered from local ice houses to residences in ice wagons or ice trucks, where it would be stored in an
ice box, which was used much like a modern
refrigerator.
As home and business
refrigeration became more common, ice houses disappeared. The home ice delivery business declined, and was virtually gone by the late
1960s. Smaller ice houses, usually no more than a sawdust pile covered by a makeshift roof or
tarpaulin, continued to be maintained to store ice for use in local events such as
fairs. Today, most ice for daily consumption is made in a home
freezer, while bulk ice is manufactured, distributed and sold like other retail commodities.
In
Texas, former ice houses are a cultural tradition, with many now converted into open-air bars. In the region of
Central Texas and the
Texas Hill Country, the word "ice house" has become a
colloquialism for an establishment that derives the majority of its income from the sale of cold
beer, particularly such locally-produced labels as
Shiner Bock,
Pearl, or
Lone Star. One of the most famous is called "Ice Bar", located in downtown Austin.
The Ice House is a common name for
ice hockey rinks in the U.S.
Ice houses in the U.K.
Ice was often imported into the UK from Scandinavia up until the 1950s. Usually only large manor houses had purpose-built buildings to store ice. Many examples of ice houses exist in the UK and those that do have fallen into a poor state of repair. Good examples of 19th-century ice houses can be found at
Grendon, Warwickshire, and at
Christchurch Mansion,
Ipswich, Suffolk,
Petworth House,
Sussex,
Danny House,
Sussex,
Rufford Abbey, and
Eglinton Country Park in Scotland.
The typical British ice house was an underground chamber, usually man-made. It was usual to construct an ice house close to a source of winter ice, for example freshwater lakes or slow-flowing streams or rivers; this allowed ice to be collected when water had frozen over in winter and quickly transport it for storage in the ice house. To keep the ice frozen, doors or openings were usually built facing north and straw or sawdust was added between layers of ice to act as insulation. The ice would stay frozen for many months, and would be used to preserve and chill food all year round.
The ice house was introduced to Britain around 1660 and were commonly brick lined, domed structures, with most of their volume underground. Ice houses varied in design depending on the date and builder, but were mainly conical or rounded at the bottom to hold melted ice. They usually had a drain to take away any melt water.
Game larders and venison larders were sometimes marked on ordnance survey maps as ice houses.
Gallery
Image:Crathes castle ice house.jpg|The Crathes Castle, Scotland, ice house.
Image:Culzean castle ice house.jpg|The Culzean Castle, Scotland, ice house.
Image:Culzean castle ice house inner roof 001.jpg|The interior roofing of the Culzean Castle ice house.
Image:Wildrerness_IH1.jpg|Georgian Ice House
Image:Eglintonicehouse1.JPG|The Eglinton ice house in the Old Woods from near the Draught burn.
Image:Eglinton icehouse side.JPG|The Eglinton ice house from below.
Image:HPIM2621sm.JPG|The entrance to the Grendon ice house.
Image:HPIM2622sm.JPG|The brick-built domed ceiling of the Ice House at Grendon in Warwickshire.
Further Information
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