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Portbradden ice house is a substantial underground structure built into the distinctive basaltic bedrock of the Antrim plateau. The dark volcanic rock underlying the site, formed during Paleogene times from ancient lava flows and related volcanic deposits, provided ideal conditions for ice storage. The natural thermal insulation of the bedrock would have helped maintain the cold temperatures essential for preserving ice throughout the year.
The ice house sits in the townland of Portbradden in the Moyle area of County Antrim, positioned to exploit the cool microclimate of the plateau landscape. Such structures were typically used by gentry or substantial farming households during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries to store ice cut from frozen ponds or brought from nearby coastal sources during winter months.
The monument is protected by the Historic Environment Division of Northern Ireland as a significant example of agricultural heritage infrastructure. Ice houses of this type remain relatively uncommon archaeological features across the island of Ireland, making Portbradden's example a valuable record of historical food preservation practices and the technological adaptation of families to their local geology and climate.
Portbradden ice house. ice house is a scheduled monument protected by Department for Communities NI under reference 16098. View the official record →
Portbradden ice house is a substantial underground structure built into the distinctive basaltic bedrock of the Antrim plateau. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) under reference 16098.
Portbradden ice house. ice house is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by DfC Northern Ireland (NISMR) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in Ni. The official designation reference is 16098.
Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Teampull lastrac, tempull lastrac, temple-lassaragh. pre-norman, medieval & post-med. churches & graveyard with cross (0.3 km), Kelp kiln (0.6 km), Dunboy. raised rath with souterrain (0.7 km).
This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 14 strands of Portbradden ice house. ice house's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Portbradden ice house. ice house stands on Unnamed Extrusive Rocks, Palaeogene, bedrock that formed in the Paleogene. The rock here is mafic lava and mafic tuff.