Icehouses were a common occurrence in the days before mechanical refrigeration yet most of us are unaware of this fact. Most people might imagine an icehouse to be like an igloo - a house made of ice. Wrong! We are so used to ice machines and ice making equipment in this modern era that we have lost track of such things.

Many, many years ago, ice used to be stored in icehouses or in underground ice wells and some of these still exist today, dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries. In those days, ice was a luxury item enjoyed only by wealthy people and in Britain for example the fondness for using ice grew to the point where by the 1850's most country homes and estates had their own icehouse. Around that time, as commercial use of ice developed, restaurants in particular became able to keep food chilled and offer freshly made ice cream. As a result, Imports of ice into London grew quickly and to such a degree that large ice wells had to be dug in order to store sufficient quantities of ice to meet the city's demand for it. By the 1920's however, mechancial refrigeration had made its impact and so ice imports no longer became necessary.