Glaciarium

An item in the 8 June 1844 issue of Littell's Living Age headed "The Glaciarium" reported: This establishment, which has been removed to Grafton street East' Tottenham-court-road [sic], was opened on Monday afternoon.

[2]A later rink was opened by John Gamgee in a tent in a small building just off the Kings Road in Chelsea, London, on 7 January 1876.

Gamgee had discovered the process while attempting to develop a method to freeze meat for import from Australia and New Zealand, and had patented it as early as 1870.

[1] Gamgee operated the rink on a membership-only basis and attempted to attract a wealthy clientele, experienced in open-air ice skating during winters in the Alps.

However, the process was expensive, and mists rising from the ice deterred customers, forcing Gamgee to close the Glaciarium by the end of the year, and all his rinks had shut by mid-1878.