Park Crescent West ice well

The Park Crescent West ice well is a 9.5m deep underground brick structure in the City of Westminster, London, England.

[1] It is situated in the City of Westminster between the John Nash properties of Park Crescent West and buildings on Portland Place.

[1][2] An above-ground entranceway, 1.3m wide and roofed with Yorkstone slabs, provided access to the chamber by means of a timber door.

[3] His customers included coffee houses, inns, clubs, fishmongers and pastry chefs; he also sold his own ice-based confectionery.

[4] The well was covered over during the construction of mews on the site in the mid-to-late 19th century and brick walls were laid on top of it.

[4] It was described as part of the mews property leased for use as a garage as late as 1952 but was lost by 1961 when it was briefly uncovered during construction works before being covered over once more with rubble.

[3] The site was being redeveloped in 2014 as part of a £500 million scheme by Great Marlborough Estates, and they commissioned a survey by the Museum of London Archaeology.

[1][2] It was also found that part of the London Underground's Jubilee Line passes beneath the eastern portion of the well.

digital map of London illustrating the approximate location of the ice well
Approximate location of an 18th-century ice well behind Park Crescent West , London; the well is marked with a red triangle. [ 5 ]