EATING an ice cream is a pleasure that many of us take for granted.

But archaeologists in the New Forest National Park are using the latest technology to explore what life was like before the invention of fridges and freezers.

Owners of country estates kept their cool by using structures known as ice houses to preserve food and even produce their own ice cream.

The partly subterranean buildings were filled with ice imported from abroad or cut from local lakes in the winter.

Now heritage experts at Archaeovision have produced a 3D laser scan animation of an ice house on the Beaulieu Estate.

The cutting edge animation will help them repair the building, which is due to be used as an educational tool for Hampshire schoolchildren.

But the structure, which dates from the early to mid 19th century, is not in an area that is currently open to the public.

A National Park Authority (NPA) spokesman said: “Ice houses like the one at Beaulieu can be seen in the grounds of many large estates around the world.

“They remained popular with wealthy landowners until the middle of the 19th century.

“In many cases ice could remain in the building for anything between 12 and 18 months.”

NPA archaeologist Frank Green added: “Being able to keep food fresh in a fridge or freezer is something we take for granted but before ice houses this was an alien concept.

“These structures tell us a lot about how the upper classes chilled and preserved their food, and form an important part of our cultural heritage.

“The laser scan animation is an important first step in our work to catalogue and conserve the New Forest’s ice houses.

“Animations such as the one of the Beaulieu ice house help bring the buildings to life and form a lasting record to guide our conservation work.”

  • Watch the laser scan animation of the ice house on the Beaulieu Estate by visiting newforestnpa.gov.uk/icehouse.