We have recently restored the entrance to the ice house, which is located just above the lake on the south side.

It was used to store perishable food, which could nevertheless be preserved in the cold.  Ice was cut from the lake and placed at the bottom of the inner, brick-vaulted chamber, and then the food packed on top.  We have no detailed record of how it was used, but my mother remembers a very old and long-retired employee telling her that cutting and carrying the ice was the worst job he had on the estate.

The bank in which it sits had been planted up with ash trees by my parents.  We decided to remove them and make the bank into a more open space, giving better views to the lake from the track above it and to the castle as you approach after completing the lake path walk.  After much bonfiring, weeding and spraying, the ground was deemed to be clean enough for our groundsmen, Nick and Ron, to plant the grass this autumn.

After two years as a brown scar, it is now beginning to green up.  Let us hope it is not from the return of the weeds….and that it will look very good this summer.  We also hope to be able to let visitors look beyond the icehouse entrance.

This winter we are tackling the rebuilding of the perimeter wall to the Courtyard.  Over the years it has been hit by falling trees and suffered from damage from self-seeded saplings, ivy etc.  One section has been screened off as it looked as if it might fall down and damage parked cars, visitors and their dogs, and we will start on that part first.

The construction suggests that the building budget in the early 19th century many have been tight.  There are rusticated stones on each outer face, but the centre of the wall consists of a rubble infill, so there is little to hold it all together.  To remedy this, we will use stainless steel expanded metal strips embedded in the lime mortar on each course of stone, which should provide the previously-missing lateral strength.  The reinforcement will be invisible but should ensure a long-term repair.

Repairing walls and roofs rather than investing in improvements that generate more income is what we have to do from time to time.  We are obliged to do so as the Castle is Listed.  It is usually cheaper to repair and maintain at early stages of deterioration rather than wait until the repair becomes a major one.  It is always a financial challenge, but we try to take the long-term view and hope that what we mend now will not need to be redone for a generation or two.       JH-B