ESPIONAGE STORIES AT THE ICE HOUSE

The Ice House is the home of espionage literature (though you didn’t hear that from us).

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Those entering should be aware that this former Ministry of War site is still owned by the MoD, and those without written pre-approval may be stopped and questioned by the custodian, one Mrs Gladys Briggs. Stories can be found on the shelves whilst you await Mrs Briggs’ unique brand of questioning. This may take a while, so we strongly suggest you make yourself as comfortable as possible and pass the time by reading. (Please ignore the boxes marked ‘Classified’).

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The Parish Council are keen to receive submissions to the Ice House archive and those wishing to submit any classified documents they may have stumbled across or de-coded should consult the Contributions page for guidance. Your contributions may involve incoming characters, though there is a swathe of characters already resident in Bickering in Sea who may inspire you. 

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Whilst the main house of Bickering Hall was constructed in 1743, the Ice House was added during a second phase of building on the estate in the 1760s. Its location takes advantage of the estate’s wooded copse, creating a pocket of cooler air around the building, as required for sustaining the ice kept therein. Local legend suggests, however, that the Ice House was built on this spot in order to take advantage of natural caverns and tunnels in the bedrock, and that more than one of these may find its way to the beaches below, though this may be because the estate was once owned by the ex-privateer, Captain Possett.

 

Though it is true the Government requisitioned Bickering Hall during World War II, some believe the accepted cover story of a code-writing centre is beginning to wear a little thin, and local conspiracy theorists eagerly await each new batch of de-classified Government documents. The Hall has since been relinquished from Government hands, though part of the estate, including the Ice House, has been retained for ‘training purposes’, and Mrs Briggs remains local custodian of the site.

 

Rumours of dark cars and vans pulling up to the Ice House in the depths of night remain unsubstantiated, though headlights have been seen in the area in the small hours. This is largely attributed to ongoing MoD ‘training exercises’, which have never involved a submarine in close proximity to Fisherman’s Quay, no matter what nonsense the Crabbe family may have to say about it.

 

Gladys Briggs

Secretary, Friends of Bickering Hall