The Vintage Fridge Company

About

The Vintage Fridge Company specialises in the refurbishment and supply of original “Ice Box's” and vintage refrigerators.

The Company was founded by John Bodrell in 2009 after a search, for a modern equivalent to the look of the original “Ice Box's” proved fruitless.

We have a proven history within the architectural antique trade, with over 18 year's experience and a reputation for reclaiming, renovating and supplying some of the most unique and interesting items in the world today.

Our sister company - The Cast Iron Reclamation Company - was the first, and is still, one of the leading suppliers of original reclaimed cast iron radiators. We have exported original renovated items all over the world from loft apartments in New York to Beach houses in Latvia, with the odd Yacht in Italy.

We have also been responsible for the supply of various architectural antiques and salvage to many major high street shops, including: AllSaints, Karen Millen, Whistles, Jigsaw, and Ghost to name but a few.

All of our refurbished fridges are fully guaranteed and can be shipped worldwide with all engines being adaptable to varying electrical voltages.

History & Origins

The international trade in ice was started by Frederic Tudor of Boston, known as the Ice King.

In 1806 he shipped 80 tons of ice to Martinique in the West Indies. By 1847, 52,000 tons were sent to 28 cities across the USA by Tudor as well as Cuba, Jamaica, Brazil, Europe (there was an 'ice safe or refrigerator' at the 1851 Great Exhibition from the Wenham Lake Ice Co in Massachusetts) and even India (Calcutta became Tudor's most profitable destination), and by 1900 nearly every family, grocer and barkeeper in the USA had an icebox.

During the early 1900s domestic electric refrigerators became available, and by the 1940s they were common in US homes.

Ice was shipped to its destination city or town in block form to be kept in an icehouse and then hawked in block form street by street. The refined form of icebox as kitchen furniture or appliance was invented between 1850 and 1860 and remained in production in a similar form until the advent of the electric fridge in the 1940s.

The iceboxes are hardwood cupboards with inner linings of tin or zinc insulated with material such as cork, sawdust, rice husks, straw or seaweed, some with glazed cupboard doors, built to house blocks of ice on an upper shelf, allowing cool air, and often iced water, to flow through the lower food and drink cupboards below.

The Brazilian geladeiras were manufactured for restaurants and bars in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, made from peroba do campo timber, also known as ipe, a hardwood similar to mahogany, which is insect resistant, has medicinal properties, and was famously the species used for creating ten mile long boardwalks in Coney Island and New Jersey, possibly the result of the ice trade.

The European fridges that we refurbish are usually made from oak or pine again these were mostly manufactured for bars and restaurants, however, some of our smaller items detailed on our stock pages were originally for domestic use.

Pioneers of Refrigeration for all

The "Lig-o-nier” ice box company was located in Indiana and founded in 1890, it was one of the first companies to bring refrigeration to the masses, with a range of different style and size ice boxes.

The Mc’Cray family are believed to be the inventors of the commercial and domestic refrigerator / ice box. In 1882 Elmer Mc’Cray received a patent for his companies cold storage room. He continued to improve on this patent, developing refrigeration units for both the domestic and commercial use.

The McCray Company remained in Kendallville, Indiana for almost eighty years until 1975, when it merged with Howard Refrigeration of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and moved to that city. Howard McCray remains a leading manufacturer of commercial refrigeration units in the U.S.

Renovation Process

The pictures shown here are of a Argentinian “Ventana de visualización” before and after renovation. We endeavour to keep all original exterior features as sympathetically renovated as possible, so as not to detract from the age and authenticity of the original item.

The Internals

Internally all linings, insulates, racking and where fitted, engines, are removed and replaced with modern equivalents, including environmentally friendly condensers, evaporators and lighting. We insulate and then reline the interior with stainless steel, finishing with either hardwood or aluminium racking. However, internal specifications can be tailored to your specific requirements, including the positioning of the motor.

We are able to offer a variety of internal finishes to our "Ice Box's". The most popular is our stainless steel finish which is available in either smooth or textured. Our hard wood racking system has been designed to be as both functional and yet sympathetic to the overall character of the unit. It is easily adjustable and sealed to protect hygienically. The shelves themselves are easily removable to enable cleaning of both the shelves and the internal walls.

The Motor

Every vintage fridge or "Ice Box" is fitted with a new fully guaranteed motor. This can be sited both internally, in various compartments, or externally in an adjoining room or indeed outside as an air conditioning unit.

The Evaporator

The evaporator unit is normally fitted in the highest point internally of the "Ice Box", to give the most affective refrigeration. This unit is again new and fully guaranteed, it is also fitted with a dial thermostatic unit, to allow variable temperature contro.

Lighting

All "Ice Box's" are fitted with internal food safe LED lighting, which is controlled by either open and close switches operated by the doors, or internal PIR movement censors.