Description

Probably R & R Dickson, dated 1825. Rare survival of unusually well-detailed small estate Ice House with Tudor doorway and circular chamber with dome. Ashlar front with concave moulded, droved doorway facing driveway (E).

Statement of Interest

B group with Stable Block, Walled Garden with Formal Terraced Garden, South Gate and Monument.

This is a rare survival of a once prolific estate building type which became an important domestic feature. It is a key component part at Millearne and makes a significant contribution to the surviving group of estate buildings. The Ice House is set-back within rising ground overlooking the principal driveway and has a fine well-detailed entrance reflecting the Tudor Gothic estate style at Millearne. A watercourse on the opposite side of the driveway flows into the River Earn immediately south of the main gate.

The Ice House is attributed to R & R Dickson as they, together with John George Home Drummond, are though to have designed the now demolished Millearne House which was begun in 1821. Scotland was slow to adopt the new Tudor Gothic style with few earlier examples than Millearne.

Estate ice houses were commonly freestanding, and covered with either turf or thatch. Buxbaum quotes Sylvia Beamon and Susan Roaf writing in 1990, 'In Britain some three thousand were built, the majority in the period 1750-1875'. This example at Millearne is not sited near the stable block or walled garden as was common, but proximity to a watercourse on sloping ground was equally desirable particularly for drainage purposes. In spite of the increasing popularity of ice houses during the 19th century, when purer ice could be imported from America and Scandinavia, intact survivors are surprisingly rare.

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q56623038

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Worcestershire Revised Edition (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)