Information for record number MWA8211:
Ice house under chapel of Guy's Cliffe House

Summary An icehouse, a structure built partly underground and used for the storage of ice in wamer weather. It was built during the Imperial period and was situated under the chapel of Guy's Cliffe House. The site lies 80m north east of Guy's Cliffe Stud.
What Is It?  
Type: Icehouse
Period: Imperial - Industrial (1751 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Warwick
District: Warwick, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 29 66
(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: )
Scheduled Monument (Grade: )
Sites & Monuments Record
Description

  
Source Number  

1 Icehouse in one of rock cut chambers under chapel of Guy's Cliffe House. Not known whether chamber was cut specifically for Icehouse or whether existing chamber reused - some of the caves under the chapel said to possibly date from Saxon period. Icehouse separated from chapel by an undercroft, from which stone steps lead down through a brick arched passageway. Passage has three doors off it. Chamber itself is L-shaped, lined in places with bricks, and has brick vaulted ceiling and soakaway in floor, all of which features survive. Only access to base of chamber is by ladder. Forms part of a very unusual group of associated structures, with caves and chapel (WA 2232), and is Scheduled as part of this group.
2 Beamon and Roaf report that there is an ice-cellar or a dungeon beneath the lowest level of the chapel. L-shaped with brick walls set in bedrock. The only real indication tthat it might have been for storing ice is that the stairway down to it has three doors. This structure is beneath the undercroft.
 
Sources
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: The Ice-Houses of Britain
Author/originator: Beamon, S.P. and Roaf, S.
Date: 1990
Page Number: 437 - 443
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Unpublished document
Title: MPP Assessments (Icehouses)
Author/originator: EH
Date: 1998
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Warks #9
   
Images:  
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
none Scheduled Monument Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs) are those archaeological sites which are legally recognised as being of national importance. They can range in date from prehistoric times to the Cold War period. They can take many different forms, including disused buildings or sites surviving as earthworks or cropmarks.

SAMs are protected by law from unlicensed disturbance and metal detecting. Written consent from the Secretary of State must be obtained before any sort of work can begin, including archaeological work such as geophysical survey or archaeological excavation. There are nearly 200 SAMs in Warwickshire.
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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.
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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 CAVE * A subterranean feature entered from a hillside, cliff face, etc. A cave may have been used for occupation, storage, burial, refuse, or as a hide-away. Index with site type or objects where known. back
monument STONE * Use only where stone is natural or where there is no indication of function. 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 CELLAR * A room or group of rooms usually below the ground level and usually under a building, often used for storing fuel, provisions or wines. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument SOAKAWAY * A pit filled with rubble, etc., into which rain or waste water flows in order to disperse into the surrounding soil. back
monument CHAPEL * A freestanding building, or a room or recess serving as a place of Christian worship in a church or other building. Use more specific type where known. back
monument STRUCTURE * A construction of unknown function, either extant or implied by archaeological evidence. If known, use more specific type. back
monument UNDERCROFT * A vault or crypt under a church or chapel. Use wider site type where known. back
monument DUNGEON * An underground cell, or group of cells, used for imprisonment. back
monument STEPS * A series of flat-topped structures, usually made of stone or wood, used to facilitate a person's movement from one level to another. back
monument ROCK CUT CHAMBER * A manmade chamber cut into a rockface. back
monument WALL * An enclosing structure composed of bricks, stones or similar materials, laid in courses. Use specific type where known. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record