Grimsby building on top ten at risk list

The factory has been empty for 20 years

Grimsby's ice factory has been named as one of the UK's most endangered buildings.

The Victorian Society has put the derelict building on its top ten list of structures most at risk of being lost to the nation.

It was built in 1900 to provide crushed ice for the town's trawlers; to keep fish fresh in the ship's hold.

The last ice was produced in 1990 and the huge structure stands abandoned in the fish docks, with some of the original ice-making machinery still in place.

It has been given a Grade II listing by English Heritage. Despite this the building is growing increasingly derelict.

The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust was formed this summer to campaign for its restoration. The Trust's chair, Vicky Hartung, said the Victorian Society's intervention is helpful for their campaign:

"It's been very important to the town for the last 100 years. Now, we are given to understand it is important to the nation."

Vicky Hartung: Hopes the building will become an arts venue

The trust hopes to retain some of the original machinery in a small museum and convert the rest of the building to other uses. Suggestions include an arts venue and business units.

The hope is that North East Lincolnshire Council will commission a feasibility study to look at ways of redeveloping the historic building.

Ms Hartung said the building is an important part of Grimsby's fishing heritage and deserves a future:

"It's a spectacular building, and we think it can be brought to life again and really contribute to the town."