The Ice House at Blenheim Palace was in danger of collapse with tree roots piercing the tunnel and dome, buried beneath a mound of earth.
Weldon Stone submitted a competitive tender for the repairs to Nick Cox Architects and was awarded the contract in Spring 2014
As the structure was in such poor condition, an elaborate system of support was proposed by Weldon Stone to the structural engineers Price and Myers
With the support system agreed, built, and the trees felled from above the chamber Weldon Stone carefully recorded and dismantled the front wall and tunnel and numbered every stone on a scale drawing.
Peter Preston of Nick Cox Architects then reviewed the stonework and agreed the stonework replacements
Weldon Stone then formed a reinforced concrete foundation and rebuilt the walls and tunnel ensuring that the old stones were reused in their original positions
Upon completion of the rebuild, repairs were undertaken to the dome and walls of the chamber of the Ice House. A series of hoop ties were installed within the bed joints of the brickwork and extended into the walls of the tunnel
With the chamber strengthened by those ties, the task of carefully repairing the cracks in the dome began
As each crack was repaired with stainless steel, bricks or tiles and then pointed, the supports of the dome were removed one by one and the chamber left intact for future generations