Information for record number MWA375:
Site of Ice House off Long Street/Ratcliffe Street, Atherstone.

Summary The site of an icehouse, a building partially constructed under ground and used to store ice in the warmer months. It dates to the Imperial period and was situated west of Ratcliffe Street, Atherstone.
What Is It?  
Type: Icehouse
Period: Imperial - Industrial (1751 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Atherstone
District: North Warwickshire, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 30 97
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Ice house revealed during demolition/clearance of, apparently, the old police station. Examined 9.3.75 at request of County Surveyor's Department. The ice house was a domed shape, with a circular brick opening, dished to hold a lid, and placed centrally, at the apex of the dome. The floor and sides were of brick. There was provision for drainage into a nearby well, according to the site foreman. The floor was fluted, presumably to prevent water gathering at the bottom. Access would seem to have been by ladder, and/or windlass. No information could be obtained as to the nature or date of the buildings above, now demolished. Whether contemporary with these or not, the icehouse seemed, from its type of brickwork, to be of Victorian date. The feature was slabbed over and not filled in. The icehouse was 3.35m in depth from the surface. The circular floor was 3.6m in diameter and the circular entry hole 85cm diameter.
2 Plan drawn in 1977.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card: plan
Author/originator:
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Record Card/Form
Title: SMR card : text
Author/originator: JMG
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
There are no images associated with this record.  
back to top

Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
source SMR Card Sites and Monuments Record Card. The Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record began to be developed during the 1970s. The details of individual archaeological sites and findspots were written on record cards. These record cards were used until the 1990s, when their details were entered on to a computerised system. The record cards are still kept at the office of the Warwickshire Sites and Monuments Record. back
period Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
more -> 		back
monument ICEHOUSE * A structure, partly underground, for the preservation of ice for use during warmer weather. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument SITE * Unclassifiable site with minimal information. Specify site type wherever possible. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument WINDLASS * A mechanical structure, consisting of a roller or beam on supports, round which a rope or chain is wound, and used for various purposes, eg. raising a bucket from a well, etc. back
monument FLOOR * A layer of stone, brick or boards, etc, on which people tread. Use broader site type where known. back
monument FEATURE * Areas of indeterminate function. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument WELL * A shaft or pit dug in the ground over a supply of spring-water. back
monument POLICE STATION * The office or headquarters of a local police force, or of a police district. back
monument CLEARANCE * An area of ground which has been cleared of plants and other obstruction. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record