Historic hidden ice house could be blocked up

The 18th Century ice house is Grade II listed

A hidden Grade II listed brick-lined larder, buried deep in a Surrey hillside could be concreted up because it has become unsafe.

The 18th Century subterranean ice house at the old Deepdene Estate in Dorking is just a 15-minute walk from the town's centre.

The estate was once home to banker, author and art collector Thomas Hope, who transformed the grounds into a grand landscape with Italianate gardens, terraces, and grottoes.

Sam Dawson, historian and author, said: "At the moment the ice house is empty and needs resealing because it is a bit of a danger."

Mr Dawson said: "It was the ice house from the original mansion, later converted into a bit of a work of art by Thomas Hope.

"The classical frontage has fallen off. It will probably be concreted up."

The ice house has a vaulted ceiling and is 180 metres (200 yards) from the main house.

The historian said: "Ice would be cut from a nearby pond in winter, wrapped in straw and sacking and put in this 19 foot-deep well in the ground to allow refrigeration.

"It was a very cold place for servants to work, obviously.

"Very little has changed since the day it was built."

The ice house has an ornate brick frontage which has crumbled.

Deepdene House was demolished in 1969

Mr Dawson said: "There is something magical about going underground.

"When you match the subterranean world with history, it is preserved in a way that would be lost if it was above ground."

Deepdene House was demolished in 1969.

But a project began in 2015 to restore the Deepdene Estate to its former glory.

Visitors are able to follow a 7-mile (11km) trail around the estate with views of the Hope mausoleum.

Mr Dawson said: "It was an incredibly lavish historical site lived in by some of the richest people in Britain at the time.

"Two other estates were knocked down just to have more gardens for this one.

"It was a magnificent estate."

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