Ice House - North Warwickshire

[whatsinaname]

I have been to this site a few times.

It's not quiet as pristine as these old black and white pictures.

Certainly the smaller building is now in a bad state thanks to the thankfully rare vandals.

There is a bigger building which is still in much better condition. I have photographed it before but I can't find the pictures.

I'm planning to go back some time soon before the weather turns with some lighting and get some better internal pictures.

I'm assuming it was linked to a long since disappeared stately house which would have formed part of the Merivale estate.

 

[Scoobysrt]

An ice house is for storing ice right? It must have been a big house, is there any evidence of it?
Are these your pictures? Any of the inside?

 

[Yorrick]

Are you sure it’s an icehouse? The entrances to all the others I’ve ever seen look pretty much like this –

They have a tiny entrance and have at least 6m of rock or soil completely surrounding an 8m deep pit so the ice didn't melt in the summer.

Looks more like a stable for the cart horses, with a loft above for the stablehand.

Look forward to seeing some current photos

 

[whatsinaname]

I have been to this site a few times.

It's not quiet as pristine as these old black and white pictures.

Certainly the smaller building is now in a bad state thanks to the thankfully rare vandals.

There is a bigger building which is still in much better condition. I have photographed it before but I can't find the pictures.

I'm planning to go back some time soon before the weather turns with some lighting and get some better internal pictures.

I'm assuming it was linked to a long since disappeared stately house which would have formed part of the Merivale estate.

An ice house is for storing ice right? It must have been a big house, is there any evidence of it?
Are these your pictures? Any of the inside?

I couldn't see the photos properly earlier today I was surfing by mobile so I'll have to take these two off as their now linked to a site when I grabbed these they were unlisted.

The site is known as the ice house it's not in Baxterly as written on the photo it's sort of in between places.

There was a hall in Baxterly but I don't know where it was actually sited.

I do have other pictures inside and out I will search for them later bit busy at the no but I'm curious to the whole history in thus area.

 

[whatsinaname]

Are you sure it’s an icehouse? The entrances to all the others I’ve ever seen look pretty much like this –

They have a tiny entrance and have at least 6m of rock or soil completely surrounding an 8m deep pit so the ice didn't melt in the summer.

Looks more like a stable for the cart horses, with a loft above for the stablehand.

Look forward to seeing some current photos

Yes, many have that long shaft which helped retain the cool over the seasons.

However, both these buildings were under a wood and still are today much thicker than shown.

A long way from any building past or present.

 

[Yorrick]

The top photo is labelled The House Underground. Searching for that, I found the two photos above, one of them had this caption -

"The site of a sandstone mine which was in use during the Imperial period. It was situated in the area of Baxterley Hall Park.

The remains of a sandstone block and brick structure found in woodland have been interpreted as a sandstone mine, in operation in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Four adits were identified together with evidence of a steam powered winding mechanism. It is possible that one of the adits had a shaft to the Spirorbis Limestone a few metres below the adit level."

Further searching brought up this description, but no photo -

Ice house, Old Hall Farm, Baxterley.
Beamon and Roaf report two bricked archways, side by side, facing NE, are entries to a conjoined complex. Approximately 25 x 20 ft (7.5 x 6.2m), depth 10ft (3m). There is an internal division between the two chambers linked by an arch. The whole is mounded over to a height of 8ft (2.5m) and supports large trees. It is possible that one chamber was used for ice storage, the other for use as a cool room or larder.
It lies 200 yds (180m) from the principal building and is not shown on current OS maps.

There was a hall in Baxterly but I don't know where it was actually sited.

The original Baxreley Park Hall was sited on what is now JR National Distribution Centre Car Park

Baxterley Old Hall is just South of the junction of Atherstone Lane / Blacksmith Lane.

Old Hall Farm is at CV9 2LN

 

[whatsinaname]

The top photo is labelled The House Underground. Searching for that, I found the two photos above, one of them had this caption -

"The site of a sandstone mine which was in use during the Imperial period. It was situated in the area of Baxterley Hall Park.

The remains of a sandstone block and brick structure found in woodland have been interpreted as a sandstone mine, in operation in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Four adits were identified together with evidence of a steam powered winding mechanism. It is possible that one of the adits had a shaft to the Spirorbis Limestone a few metres below the adit level."

Further searching brought up this description, but no photo -

Ice house, Old Hall Farm, Baxterley.
Beamon and Roaf report two bricked archways, side by side, facing NE, are entries to a conjoined complex. Approximately 25 x 20 ft (7.5 x 6.2m), depth 10ft (3m). There is an internal division between the two chambers linked by an arch. The whole is mounded over to a height of 8ft (2.5m) and supports large trees. It is possible that one chamber was used for ice storage, the other for use as a cool room or larder.
It lies 200 yds (180m) from the principal building and is not shown on current OS maps.



The original Baxreley Park Hall was sited on what is now JR National Distribution Centre Car Park

Baxterley Old Hall is just South of the junction of Atherstone Lane / Blacksmith Lane.

Old Hall Farm is at CV9 2LN

No JLR park is the mine site and if you Google it u can see the mine cap at the easterly end.

I have a note some where Baxterley Hall was South of Baxterly it's self by a mile or so looking at that site. I found that site too late yesterday which must have only existed in recent times.

None of that information was available before and having been on that site 2 or 3 times I couldn't see it being a sandstone mine as they'd just cut it from the rock in an open quarry. This has never been looking at the site an open quarry.

Lime not in this area to my knowledge.

Both are deliberate buildings with a purpose of bespoke build by the look of it.

I have never seen any steam winding kit or any industrial kit of any kind here.

The supposed Baxterly Hall site is a mile or so from here so I can't see these two buildings serving that.

I'll contact friends of Baxterley see if they can tell me more.

 

[Yorrick]

No JLR park is the mine site and if you Google it u can see the mine cap at the easterly end.

What do you think I have been doing?

This map from 1888 shows Baxterley Park along side the quarry. It Also shows Baxterley Hall Farm

This one from 1820 shows Baxterley Hall pretty much where the quarry was. It was demolished in 1849.

 

[whatsinaname]

Ahh that's better I hadn't got round to looking at old maps so the farm that's currently there must have been what was Baxterly Hall.

The building is still a fair way off.

I still haven't found anything else local.

The Warwickshire website didn't exist about 15yrs back so researching was difficult. At least there's an author to work on in the report if he's still around.

 

[Yorrick]

The hall sat a long way to the East of the farm and was completely demolished in 1849. The farm would have owned by, and served the hall, providing food and income.

Here's a drawing by the last owner, done in 1940

 

[whatsinaname]

I have found my pictures from Aug 2012

 

[whatsinaname]

Pic. 1 Is the smaller building, which has some strange alcoves and square recesses in the back wall I can't remember if this end is still intact or not.

Pic. 2 This is the corridor between rooms it is not very long despite what the camera fools you into thinking.

Pic. 3 I think this is the mid room looking up to a roof fall.

Pic. 4 Alcove with the small square recesses I think the floor is probably 2ft or more higher from debris that have fell in and been washed down over the years.

Pic. 5 This is the end facing the larger building and has had a roof fall in the corner and it has not changed since the last visit in 2012 it still looks the same today.

Pic. 6 Front of the large building looking from the right-hand side downhill.

Pic. 7 Looking diagonally across from the right side not there is a door way but I cannot remember whether you could get in here or not. I think it was all collapsed in even then with only a small view into a space. I might go back with some lighting and see if there is more through the gap.

Note to the left of the door way there like a guard post with sloping stone roof with a small square window. I can't remember whether I looked inside with a torch before or not. It is probably accessible from the back through the door or maybe just a folly type feature.

Pic. 8 I think this was a small hole / stair type well in the back on the right side, looks like a cave in anyway. I don't remember any holes of dips in the roof of the building when I looked the first time.

Pic. 9 Looking from the door way back across to the right side.

Pic. 10 Left hand archway as you look at the building looking out.

Pic. 11 Alcove with seating type arrangement I think this is on left side.

Pic. 12 Front of small building with collapsed roof to the right.

Pic. 13 Looking down the slope across the front of the large building.

Pic. 14 Looking down the slope to the small building.

 

[whatsinaname]

What do you think I have been doing?

This map from 1888 shows Baxterley Park along side the quarry. It Also shows Baxterley Hall Farm

This one from 1820 shows Baxterley Hall pretty much where the quarry was. It was demolished in 1849.

I don't know why I didn't go on oldmaps.co.uk either I used to have an account i think its too expensive now use to be free at one time and better mapping levels without subscription. I'm still toying with the idea of buying a map from here for my village (Well town really a early one 1888 to early 1900's to put over the fire place in a nice big frame).

 

[whatsinaname]

Yeh, its a good map I looked before it doesn't show this site which is good hopefully because its remote and well hidden it might last a bit longer yet. Even with protection under scheduled monuments it just means its recorded and probably never visited other than by the land owner and the old person.

I just hope they leave it alone its laste quite well but I thought it was worth sharing without giving away its exact location which is not shown on your map which is great.

 

[chris9140]

Went to this location about a month ago now its been Graffited /Tagged in grrrrrrrr