32 C O N T E X T 1 1 9 : M A Y 2 0 1 1 The original refrigeration equipment was installed in 1901 by Pontifex and Wood of London. Sadly this has not survived. A northwards extension, completed by 1910, increased output from 300 to 500 tons of ice a day, and more efficient can-ice tanks replaced cell-ice tanks from 1914. In 1931, when the J and E Hall ammonia compressors were added, capacity increased to 1,100 tons of ice a day. These enormous, electrically driven machines survive today in the former Compressor House. The early 1930s was a period of modernisation, with new atmospheric condensers and heat exchangers, and conversion from steam to electricity. Almost nothing now remains of the steam-powered mechanisms such as the engine, six Lancashire boilers and chimney. Gantry conveyors were installed to convey ice from the factory to waiting trawlers at the dockside opposite, and shell and tube condensers and Drysdale water pumps were installed between around 1938 and 1954. The final extension occurred between around 1948 and 1954, when a new Compressor Room was added to the factory to house the fifth J and E Hall ammonia compressor. As the fishing industry in Grimsby dwindled, so did the demand for ice. Consequently the pattern from the late 1960s and 1970s was one of decline. Tank rooms were taken out of use and the machinery in the northern extension removed.The factory closed in 1990. One of the most useful contributions of conservation statements is the thought given to in-depth assessments of significance in a range of categories, based on explicit evidence. This is part of a growing emphasis on evaluating significance and a recognition that it is derived from a wide range of perspectives and values, not only architectural and historic but also, for example, public and aesthetic. Part of the process of identifying significance is to assess what has been of lasting value, contributing to the character of a place today. This allows us to consider what we need to protect to retain the essential importance of a place. Overall, the built fabric of the Grade II* listed ice factory has a high significance. The ice-making machinery has an exceptional significance on the basis that, first, it is a very rare building type to survive, second, it is an extensive and substantially complete building and, finally, it contains Britain’s last surviving examples of in situ early 20th-century refrigeration equipment. The four J and E Hall ammonia compressors installed in the Compressor House in 1931 are of international interest, being the oldest, and probably the largest, to survive in the UK and possibly Europe. The ice factory is also an important symbol of the history of refrigeration and of Grimsby’s leading role as a fishing centre in the early- to mid-20th century. It is the earliest known surviving purpose-built ice factory in England. While recognising the importance of the whole site, it is helpful to grade the different significances in comparison to one another in order to inform future decision making regarding the varying extents of change that are likely to be acceptable. Through analysis and consultation it became evident during the preparation of the conservation statement that significance varies across the site, in relation to different spaces and machinery. It ranges from exceptional to none, covering such features as the ammonia compressors, reciprocating compressors, ice cans, filling nozzles and lifting frames in the Compressor House and Tank Houses (exceptional significance) to mechanical and electrical installations, the water tank and salt water tank (low to no significance). In October 2010 the ice factory was put under a national spotlight when the Victorian Society placed it on a list of the 10 most threatened Victorian or Edwardian buildings in England and Wales, drawn up using nominations from members of the public. The factory certainly faces a series of challenges. These include its location within port operational land limiting public uses, vandalism, and the poor and deteriorating condition of the built fabric and, to a lesser extent, the machinery, which will require considerable funding to repair and conserve. Future uses of the site would also need to respect its industrial, architectural, historic and other significances. Despite the challenges ahead, given the unique nature of the site and its exceptional overall significance, the conservation statement recommends that every effort should be made to secure its long-term future. A series of flexible conservation policies provides the conservation context and allows for good practice conservation without stifling creative design solutions to accommodate new uses. The conservation statement is a vehicle for planning and managing positive change. We can be optimistic about the buildings’ future potential. The factory has large available floor area – some parts without any machinery, and others with duplicate copies of machinery that could be removed without loss to our understanding or interpretation of the ice-making processes. There is the extensive open space around the buildings, and their proximity to excellent transport infrastructure facilities provides the potential to repair and redevelop the site for a range of possible uses. The factory could form part of a wider regeneration scheme for the significant heritage setting with its collection of fishing related industrial buildings. Sustainable reuse could bring a major element of Grimsby’s heritage to life as part of a flagship project. Further reading F Fleming, Description of 1,100 Tons Ice Plant of The Grimsby Ice Company Ltd, Centre for Kentish Studies archive, unpublished, 1932 Ian Goodall, The Grimsby Ice Company, English Heritage, 2001 Liz Humble, Grimsby Docks Ice Factory Conservation Statement, Purcell Miller Tritton, 2010 MWhitfield, Grimsby Fish Docks: an assessment of character and significance, English Heritage, 2009 conveyorbelt stepsdownto cellarpit spiralstaircase spiralstaircase spiralstaircase offices storageover stairstooffices above securityfence securityfence stepsupto offices floorconstructionabove possibiltyof moresteel columns entrance pit productionline productionline productionline productionline productionline productionline WC's assumed positionof hatchtocellar garage/shed approx. positionsof steels approx.position ofconveyorbelt above approx.position ofconveyorbelt above approx.position ofconveyorbelt above areaoflift platformat higherlevel floorconstructionabove floorconstructionabove GORTON STREET STUART WORTLEY STREET PARKER STREET LoadingBay TankHouse (tankroomNo.6) formerironstore Latergarage andfinallyflake iceplant BoilerHouse sixlargeandtwosmallshelland tubecondensers CondenserRoom fourDrysdale Centrifugalpumps SaltWater TankRoom fuseboxes Reciprocating Compressor Room IceStore AmmoniaGrids AmmoniaGrids icecrusherandbucket conveyor(x2) icecrusherand bucketconveyor drainageboards warmwatertanks TankHouse (tankroomNo.3&4) icecansandliftingframes travellingcranes valvebox twosmall compressors andvertical inter-cooler vessel CompressorHouse four1931J&EHallcompressors andwaterandbrinepumps SwitchRoom New Compressor Room oneJ&EHall compressor,1954 electricalequipment,1931 saltwatertankandpumps Liz Humble is the northern heritage consultant with Purcell Miller Tritton conservation architects. Acknowledgements Particular thanks are due to Andy Pearson (managing director, contracts, Star Refrigeration) for invaluable expert inputs regarding the refrigeration processes during the production of the conservation statement. Plan of the Grimsby Docks Ice Factory
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