Icehouse

Still visible at the opposite end of the garden from the cellar is the icehouse, an underground location that when filled with ice during the winter kept perishable foods at a temperature of 3-4 degrees Celsius.

Ice was collected from the lake and from the hemp pools across the complex. As late as 1920, it was loaded into the icehouse with shovels; wagons using “Decauville-like” tracks were later introduced.

The icehouse was constructed with specific architectural techniques (shaded location, north-facing opening, internal and external doors, floor with central drainage) that allowed the ice to last all year long.