1878

 

II  

Designated  

21/08/1992  

14/10/1999  

Ice House to NW of Bedwellty House  

 

Blaenau Gwent  

Tredegar  

 

Tredegar  

314281  

208583  

 

Bedwellty House is located towards E side of Bedwellty Park, a large public park on the S side of Tredegar town centre. Ice House set above the service courtyard to NW of house, built into steep bank.  

Domestic  

 

Early C19 with chamber built above in later C19. Bedwellty House was rebuilt in 1825 by the Merthyr Ironmaster, Samuel Homfray of Penydarren, who had purchased the site from the Morgans of Tredegar Park. Additions made before 1842 by Homfray’s son, who became manager of the Tredegar Ironworks. From the mid C19, the house was again the property of the Morgan family, who reserved it for the managers of the Tredegar Iron and Coal Company: one manager was R.P.Davies, whose wife initiated the building of the town clock 1858-59. In 1901, the Morgans gave the house and grounds to the people of Tredegar for public recreation. The icehouse was probably built for Samuel Homfray, the later room above said to have been built as a private chapel, the bellcote added in 1876.  

T-plan single storey building of randomly coursed local rubble with yellow brick detail, including long quoins. Slate roof with wide eaves. N range has small brick chimney to E end, and (rebuilt) yellow brick bellcote to W. Bell was cast at Tredegar Ironworks in 1837, and hung at former school. W end has round-arched window opening with boarded door. N door with round-arched head and boarded door set in iron frame. Lower gabled S wing has S-facing round-arched window with altered glazing. S wing contains entry to ice chamber.  

Simple stone-flagged interior to upper chamber with opening in centre over ice-chamber. Cast-iron fireplace. The domed ice chamber is lined with yellow brick, and tapers down towards the drain. Access is via a tunnel, the entrance to which is effected by a rise in ground level.  

Listed as a remarkable survival of an ice-house with former chapel above. Group value with Bedwellty House.