AN 18th century ice house on the grounds of Matfen Hall has undergone a major restoration.

The ice house on the Matfen estate was built in 1774 by the hall’s owner, Sir Edward Blackett, to enable his guests to enjoy fashionable ice creams in the heat of the summer months.

Built into a north-facing slope, the thick, stone walls of the ice house ensured that slabs of ice taken from the surface of the nearby lake in winter, or imported from the Baltic, remained frozen for several months at a time.

But following the invention of domestic fridges in the early 1900s, the ice house fell into disuse, lying almost forgotten for nearly 100 years.

It was in a dilapidated state and was on the point of collapse, before the stonework was restored to its original state thanks to a grant from the Country Houses Foundation. Now work has been finished it can be visited by guests exploring the hotel’s grounds.

Although it was originally roofed with thatch, the existing stone roof dates from the 1800s.

“Ice houses were increasingly fashionable on country estates in the 1700s, as a great deal of preserving ice was needed to keep ice creams cool enough until dinner time,” said Matfen Hall Hotel’s owner Sir Hugh Blackett. “It was largely in the summer months that gentry households resided in the country, which made it all the more impressive if guests could be entertained with cold ices on the hottest days.

“Sadly, after a century of disuse, the ice house was in a sorry state of repair and the dome was in danger of collapse, so we are delighted to have been able to restore it to its former condition.”

The ice house is always open and an automatic lighting system has been installed, so visitors can enter at any time. Hotel guests can walk from Matfen Hall, or visitors can come from the Standing Stone Farm development on the Matfen Estate and take a five minute walk down a public footpath to the south-east.