C O N T E X T 1 1 9 : M A Y 2 0 1 1 31 LIZ HUMBLE Refrigeration on ice Grimsby Docks Ice Factory has been identified as one of the 10 most threatened Victorian or Edwardian buildings in England and Wales, but the buildings have plenty of potential. Ice factories were once a common feature of successful trading ports. Sadly, during the mid-to-late-20th century, most were substantially altered or entirely demolished, leaving almost nothing to mark the development of the vital role of commercial refrigeration in modern life. Grimsby Docks Ice Factory is an exceptionally rare survivor of a purpose-built ice factory. Built by the Grimsby Ice Company in 1901, it is located within a working industrial dockland at Grimsby Port. It produced large quantities of ice, facilitating the growth of the burgeoning fishing trade and with it a substantial part of the economic fortunes of the town. The docks continue to enjoy a distinctive local character due to their association with the fishing trade, with a concentration of associated fish smokehouses, warehouses, commercial and social facilities, markets and transport systems. The Grimsby Docks Ice Factory continued to provide ice to the local fishing industry until 1990, at which point production ceased and it was brought under the ownership of Associated British Ports. The Grade II* buildings remain vacant, falling into increasing dereliction. Placed on the Heritage at Risk Register by English Heritage in 1992, the ice factory faces an uncertain future. Purcell Miller Tritton was commissioned in 2010 by North East Lincolnshire Council to prepare a conservation statement for the ice factory. The primary aim of the report was to understand the significance of the factory, in particular the ice-making machinery that remained in situ. Conservation statements play an important role in the dynamic process of conservation. They enable the significance and special character of historic places to be retained in a sustainable way as they continue to evolve. Such reports are particularly useful for sites where alteration is anticipated, as they can inform feasibility studies, and help guide future decision making as to new uses and designs. They can also provide a valuable evidence base of support for planning applications, heritage impact assessments, listed building consents and funding applications. Conservation statements are generally more costeffective than conservation management plans, and can allow for a greater degree of flexibility when considering the future of historic buildings. Detailed conservation policies are neither appropriate, nor particularly useful, for buildings where future uses are unknown. The rigid policies may provide limitations that would severely hinder options for reuse. The ice factory presented a particular challenge given its highly specialised former uses and little-understood historical development. Through a process of detailed examination of the buildings’ archival records, a comprehensive site analysis and consultation with specialists in the field of refrigeration and local interest groups such as the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust, a conservation statement was developed, providing the most authoritative analysis of its historical development and current character. Commonly considered to have only two or three main phases of development, the ice factory was in fact regularly modified and extended, evolving in answer to pressures for greater output and technological advancements in response to the needs of the high volume of trawlers it serviced. Aggressive environmental conditions, for example from the quantities of brine involved in the process, probably also contributed to the need for regular repair and replacement of the primary ice-making machinery. Ammonia compressors in the Compressor House Dockside elevation with the gantry conveyors that carried the ice from the factory to the waiting trawlers (All photos: Liz Humble) Filling nozzles in the Tank House
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