One of Grimsby’s most famous landmarks is at risk of collapse according to yesterday’s edition of the Grimsby Evening Telegraph – it is part of our fishing heritage. The Ice House is situated on the Grimsby Docks, and is also within the East Marsh Ward; and is seen by thousands of tourists who visit the area every as it is on the main road to Cleethorpes sea front.
The Ice House was the lifeline of Grimsby’s Docks, producing thousands of tonnes of ice per day; however the former Grimsby Exchange Ice Factory is now just a shell according to the Telegraph.
Since its closure on August 3, 1990, many have dreamt of redeveloping the iconic factory.
Since its closure on August 3, 1990, many have dreamt of redeveloping the iconic factory.
But for the past 19 years nothing has changed. Now the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society is taking up the issue, saying the issue has gone on too long.
As reported, in October last year the Grade II* listed building was placed on English Heritage’s At Risk register – the list of the UK’s most endangered sites, which features everything from battlefields to monuments to shipwrecks.
In their report, the conservationist specialists said the factory was at “immediate risk of further rapid deterioration”.
However, it is not the building English Heritage is keen to save, but what lies behind its deteriorating walls.
Inside – exposed to the elements – stands the last surviving examples of early 20th Century ice factory machinery.
Giles Proctor, English Heritage’s Team Leader and Historic Buildings Architect for South and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire, said: “The building was listed as Grade II* – which means that it is considered to be amongst the top six per cent of listed buildings in the country – principally because of the rarity of its ice-making machinery, combined with the decorative exterior.
“Our ambition is that the building should be repaired and converted to a sustainable new use – it is likely that such a use will involve the removal of some of the machinery, but given the importance of the machinery to the building’s special interest, we will seek to ensure that sufficient of the machinery is retained in situ, to aid understanding of the original purpose of the building.
“Given the considerable size of the building and that the triangular north block has been completely gutted at some time in the past, it should be possible to accommodate new uses and a significant portion of the machinery.”
So where does this leave the Ice Factory?
While many developers – including North East Lincolnshire Council – have spoken of regenerating the site, two things have always stood in their way.
Firstly, English Heritage’s decision to not allow the ice machines to be removed, and secondly, the factory sits on private land, owned by Associated British Ports (ABP).
But now the Grimsby, Cleethorpes and District Civic Society is trying to bring all of the interested parties together to see what can be done.
Chairman of the society, Paul Genney, said he hoped a consensus on the future of the factory could be found, whether that meant retaining it or knocking it down.
He said: “Somebody has got to make a decision, it has gone on for too long, it really has.”
Mr Genney has invited both English Heritage and ABP to the meeting, along with Tony Hunter, chief executive of North East Lincolnshire Council; Coun Andrew De Freitas, leader of NELC, and MPs Austin Mitchell and Shona McIsaac.
“Depending on the outcome of the meeting we (the Civic Society) would be prepared to have it de-listed,” he added.
Life was momentarily breathed back into the factory in 2006 when English film-maker Joe Wright transformed the building into a dilapidated church from 1940s war-torn France for his film Atonement.
Starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, the film featured other dock locations Gorton Street and Parker Street.
A public meeting will take place in the Grimsby Town Hall Assembly Room at 7.30pm on Thursday, September 24.
No comments:
Post a Comment