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Ice house, 1772. A pit, perhaps 3m deep, was dug out and lined with brick, and the lining continued 5m higher. Earth was piled around and on top of the ice house, and capped with turves. The south side of the mound was planted with shade trees to keep the building cool and also hide it from view of the house. To perfect the scheme, a contemporary architect would have a trench dug from here to the buttery in the basement of the mansion, lined and roofed with brick. This tunnel covered over with earth. The remaining dug-out earth would serve to make the mound. Ventilators would be hidden among topiary or disguised as the plinths of urns or statuary. The proximity of the River Witham, however, may have made a tunnel impractical, from a drainage point of view. (Photo May 2014).