Survey Data

Reg No

30408604


Rating

Regional


Categories of Special Interest

Architectural, Technical


Original Use

Icehouse


Date

1760 - 1800


Coordinates

168074, 230754


Date Recorded

20/08/2009


Date Updated

--/--/--


Description

Freestanding circular-plan domed icehouse, built c.1780. Now derelict and somewhat overgrown. Rubble limestone walls to base, and brick vaulted domed roof. Located on slight rise in Woodlawn demesne.

Appraisal

Icehouses are an increasingly rare type in Ireland and are mainly associated, as in this case, with the demesnes of large country houses. They illustrate the engineering and innovation required to preserve and chill food in the past and also exemplify the differences between the standards of living experienced between the upper and lower classes of society. The building's location, close to an ornamental canal and pond, is appropriate as a source of ice in the winter months.