Grimsby Ice Factory –
The Great Grimsby Ice Company Factory was built in 1901. Its purpose was to supply ice to preserve fish on its journey from the deep sea fishing grounds to the nation’s plates.
It is essentially a brick shelter for the ice-making machines, but typically of the Victorians, some pride was taken in the brickwork to the Gorton Street entrance, and tiny details still survive such as the initials of the Great Grimsby Ice Factory cast into the end plates of supporting beams in the tanks house walls.
The factory first used steam to power the Pontiflex (and later Linde) Ammonia compressors which made the ice. As demand for ice increased, two more tank rooms were added between 1907 and 1910.
In 1930, a modernisation programme began. Metropolitan-Vickers of Manchester was commissioned to provide new electric generators. J & E Hall of Dartford, Kent won the contract to replace the refrigeration equipment.
The factory expanded once more in the early 1950’s, with a seventh tank room being built. A decline in demand and changes in ice production technology led to down-scaling in 1976. The Ice Factory closed in 1990. But for the efforts of local activists, it would have been demolished soon afterwards.
English Heritage awarded a Grade II* listing to the Ice Factory. Its significance lies in the fact that it is the last surviving example of early ice-making equipment, still in place in its original place of work.
Full details of the listing can be found at:
http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-479276-the-grimsby-ice-factory-including-railin
see a visualisation of the Ice Factory in action here
New: Our summary of the structural survey and conservation statements by independent experts
For More about J&E Hall
www.dartfordarchive.org.uk/20th_century/industry_halls.shtml
The Ice Factory has also appeared on film - find out more here
To find out what happened to other Ice Factories, go here