STAFF REPORTER
CENTURIES old ice storage buildings have been restored by Majorcan craftsmen at the Son Massip country estate in Escorca, the Council of Majorca confirmed yesterday.
Prior to the age of refrigeration, ice was a costly product, virtually considered a luxury item. To conserve snow, various ice storage buildings were built on high ground at the beginning of the 17th century. In this way, ice was preserved and sold to businesses which required it such as pharmacies and ice cream manufacturers.
Until the second decade of the 20th century, ice storage and trading was a thriving business, but once the ice factory in Inca was built, the mountain warehouses were gradually abandoned.
Now, four centuries after its construction, the Council of Majorca has finished the restoration of the Galileu snow house. It is typical of its kind, originally built in 1692 and finally abandoned in 1908.
The structure was embedded deep into the ground in an elliptical shape and lined with stones. Separate outhouses provided shelter for the workers who converted the snow into ice.
Majorcan dry-stone walling craftsmen have worked over the years to restore the buildings but inclement weather at such height has slowed their progress. The state of conservation of the ice stores at Galileu had become precarious and nearly nine metres of accumulated material had to be removed from the base of the structure.