Chilling discovery: ice house found under London street

Cavernous 18th-century store reveals link to lost trade in ice blocks from Norwegian fjordFor the well to-do residents of Georgian London, serving chilled drinks at a festive party was a more complicated process than today. In the absence of electricity to make ice cubes and keep them frozen, they had to source their ice from elsewhere.For the most discerning hosts, that meant using blocks of purest frozen Norwegian fjord, which was shipped to London ’s docks and then carefully stored until required to be chipped into glasses and clinked.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Archaeology UK news London History of science Norway Europe World news Source Type: news