There is an Ice House (Icehouse) that is identified on Ordnance Survey map sheets in the proximity of Walton Hall in Walton le Dale. This icehouse would have been associated with Walton Hall and was used as a cold storage place, a precursor to the modern day refrigerator. They were generally brick constructions that were in a shaded area, such as woodland, and would be built partially underground, to help maintain a cool interior. In winter, they were packed with ice gathered from local ponds or rivers, allowing perishable food to be stored for use throughout the warmer months. Only wealthy owners of large houses would have an Icehouse. They were not commonplace.
There are a number of surviving examples locally, for Cuerden Hall, Worden Hall (Worden Park), Read Hall and Woodfold Hall. All of which are Listed Buildings on the ‘National Heritage List for England (NHLE), which is managed by Historic England. I have visited them all. Sadly, the one for Walton Hall has gone. If it hadn’t already been demolished, it would have been destroyed during the construction of the Bamber Bridge bypass the mid-1980s or later when it was upgraded to a dual carriageway in 1997, to accommodate traffic from the newly extended M65.
I would have visited many of the woodlands locally as a boy, but have no recollection of anything like that. I am sure that we would have used it for a den if it were there.
A comment to a recent Social Media post (on a local Facebook Group) that was about a Robert Pateson photograph, which showed the Bridge over the River Darwen in Walton le Dale, revealed an interesting clue about the icehouse in more recent times. The commenter said:
Cromwell’s cave was in a field off Hennel Lane ie was tunnelled from the Unicorn Inn which accommodated cyclists on Sunday ls Mr and Mrs Fletcher owned it when we were kids. It had a bid black iron fireplace in the kitchen n flag floors.
It’s an interesting one, but I think that it’s likely to be the icehouse, which children have christened a cave. It would be logical to do so, as there are known links to Oliver Cromwell in the village. Tunnels seem to be a recurring theme too, but I think they are ‘folklore’, as opposed to having any basis in fact.
There also seems to have been other resistance to the notion of it being an Ice House. There is a piece about it on the Preston History website suggesting that it was a belvedere. This ‘tale of two belvederes’ has a lot of supporting evidence for the existence of a belvedere associated with Walton Hall. However, whilst there is no argument about it being witnessed, I don’t think it was in the Ice House location. It would be unusual for the Ordnance Survey to get it wrong.
Also, there is a reference to it in Frank Coupe’s ‘History of Walton le Dale book. He says,
On the hillside, some two-hundred yards south-west from the Hall, may be seen the remains of a very unusual relic of former days: a game larder or, as the local people like to refer, the ice house. This forerunner of our modem refrigerator, a sunken well. brick lined with a domed roof, was used by the residents of the Hall to store perishable food. It would seem an admirable place for the purpose, the temperature being uniformly cool in all seasons. The well has now been filled in, all that remains today is the domed brick roof.
Another reference is the mention of the woodland in a newspaper advert detailing the sale of a large amount of timber in the area. There are a number of timer ‘lots’ detailing items that are growing in ‘Ice House Wood’. It’s it usual for an Ice to be situated in woodland away from the manor house, as these would be naturally shade and therefore cooler areas.
A post about the sale:
With regard to the actual Belvedere location, as I said, its existence is not in question. However, there are too many references to the Ice House for it not to be there, as marked on various Ordnance Survey maps. There is another rectangular block on the Ordnance Survey maps, in quite close proximity. It is slightly to the north-west of the Ice House. It appears that it may have fallen out of use by the 1910 surveys. Looking at the circa 1848 map, at six in to one mile scale, there is a path leading up to the probable belvedere location. To me, that seems to be the more likely location.
The two old Ordnance Survey maps can be seen ‘Side-by-Side’ on the National Library of Scotland website:
https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=17.3&lat=53.74328&lon=-2.68450&layers=257&right=6
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The Bamber Bridge Bypass, which is the current route of the A6 in the area, was constructed in the early 1980s. It was later widened in the 1990s. The course of the road cut through Hennel Lane at Harrison Hill and required a cutting to get to the level of the Flats. That construction work would have wrecked any evidence of the Ice House. I have examined where it should be, based on the Ordnance Survey maps’ position and there doesn’t appear to be any obvious remains. It’s probable it was already not very recognisable by the 1970s and was likely deliberately demolished, is any traces remained.
Surviving Ice Houses Locally
There are a number of surviving examples locally, once used for Cuerden Hall, Worden Hall (Worden Park), Read Hall and Woodfold Hall, respectively. All of them now have protected status through their inclusion on Historic England’s National Heritage List for England (NHLE). They are in varying states of repair. The best and most accessible surviving example is at Worden Park in Leyland, which would have serviced Worden Hall. You can easily access the outside, but it is generally locked up to avoid any possible vandalism.
The Ice House circa 400 Metres south-south-east of Cuerden Hall is another good surviving example locally. Although, technically it is out of bounds to the public, being in an area of Cuerden Valley Park that is currently designated as a nature reserve (area). It is also locked to keep it secure and prevent any possible damage.
The Ice House Circa 400 Metres South South East of Cuerden Hall, as listed on the National Heritage List for England.
https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1163478