Before Refrigerators: The Ice House

Ice House 1817 Loretta reports:

Ice houses weren’t as rare in England as the excerpt from Ackermann's Repository for June 1817 makes one believe. Neither were baths, for that matter. And London did have its share of both. In the 17th century, King Charles II had not only one, but six ice houses built, including one for his mistress the Duchess of Cleveland.* You can read more about ice houses here , here , and here .

Photo of Duchess of Cleveland’s ice house scanned from Christopher Symon Sykes's  Private Palaces .

Ice House Described Ice House Described *If you'd like to learn more about this remarkable woman, I highly recommend Susan Holloway Scott's (aka the other NHG)  Royal Harlot.
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