Moseley Park has an interesting history
Park History
In 1896 Salisbury Road was cut through to help join the centre of Moseley with Edgbaston. This road cut in two the grounds of Moseley Hall. What is now Moseley Park was cut off from the Hall and the park land was very nearly built on with new houses. Many of the trees would have been cut down and the lake filled in. Fortunately a group of businessmen saw this danger and in 1898 bought the land, on condition that it would be used only as a quiet, unspoilt Private Park FOR EVER. The 'Moseley Park and Pool' was formally opened in September 1899. It was run then, as it is now, by local people who give their time without charge for the general benefit of the neighbourhood.
An extract from the Moseley Society Journal of 1895 tells of a heroic rescue from the frozen lake and also of the lantern carnival in Moseley. The Moseley Society Journal of 1911 gives an account of the official formation of Moseley Park and Pool.
Icehouse
Moseley Park used to be part of the grounds for Moseley Hall, a large manor house, and the ice house was the 18th century version of a refrigerator. This ice-house was built in the late 18th or early 19th century. The entrance is quite small but there is a deep space inside to pack ice and freeze fresh food that could then be eaten out of season. This ice-house is believed to be one of the best-preserved in the Midlands. On certain days the ice-house is opened so that the public can go in, though normally it is securely locked up for safety reasons.
Before the invention of the refrigerator most people were limited to seasonal foods or to those preserved by drying, salting, pickling, etc. However from the 17th century, the rich and privileged increasingly built ice houses in the grounds of their large houses in the country and sometimes actually within town houses to preserve food and to provide ice for the table and especially to cool wine. In the 19th century commercial ice houses were constructed to provide ice for general use, to stock private ice houses when supplies from the local pool were scarce and later to produce 'frozen' food.
In the Midlands these commercial ice houses were often built near canals to allow easy transport. There were innumerable designs for ice houses, many partially or completely underground, whilst others were free standing above ground or even incorporated into the construction of a house. Their size varied greatly from eight to thirty three feet in height and from six to twelve feet in diameter. Beneath the chamber there was usually a drain to allow water to run off so keeping the ice dry. The chamber was approached by a passageway through which the ice was usually introduced although sometimes there was an opening in the top of the chamber through which barrowloads of ice could be poured.
The 'science' of ice house construction became increasingly sophisticated and various precepts were developed to ensure satisfactory function. The typical domestic ice house was filled with ice collected from a nearby lake during the winter. The surface of the packed ice was then covered with straw or other insulating material to preserve it through the summer months. This created a cold room for food storage and a supply of ice for the table, and even allowed for the manufacture of ice cream.
In cold winters the supply of ice would usually be adequate but in a mild winter when local ice was in short supply, it was sometimes brought from a distance - usually from East Anglia or the Lake District. In later years of the 19th century ice was regularly imported from Scandinavia or North America; in some years hundreds of thousands of tons were brought across the Atlantic.
It is estimated that some 3,000 were built in Britain, the majority during the period 1750 - 1875. Most fell into disuse with the development of the refrigerator and the decline of large country estates, yet ice was still imported until the 1930's and in isolated places a few ice houses continued in use even into the 1940's.
Over the years many ice houses have collapsed or been demolished. Others have been filled in or used for storage purposes but of those that survive many have been conserved and opened to the public. Notable local examples are at Attingham Park, Shropshire; Biddulph Grange, Staffordshire; Hanbury Hall, Worcestershire; Keddleston Hall, Derbyshire; Shugborough, Staffordshire; and the relocated and reconstructed house from Tong which is now at the Avoncroft Museum of Buildings at Bromsgrove.
The Icehouse will be open to the public on specific dates during the summer.
Check the events page for details
