Details
GRIMSBY
TA2710NE GORTON STREET, The Docks
699-1/7/121 (West side)
12/09/90 The Grimsby Ice Factory including
railings
(Formerly Listed as:
FISH DOCK ROAD, The Docks
(East side)
The Grimsby Ice Factory)
GV II*
Ice factory. 1900-1 with extension factory of 1907-8 and later
alterations. By WF Cott, consulting engineer, for the Great
Grimsby Ice Company Limited. Red brick with blue brick and
ashlar dressings. Slate and glazed roofs; copper domes on
north unit. Chamfered blue brick plinth. Approximately
rectangular on plan, comprising 2 linked factories separated
by a passage (formerly carrying a railway), cutting across at
an angle. Factory has frontages to Gorton Street, Fish Dock
Road, Stuart Wortley Street and the railway passage.
EXTERIOR: main front to Gorton St., facing Fish Dock Number 2:
2-storey 12-bay range to the left, and a single-storey 8-bay
range to the right. Left range is divided into 3 sections: to
the left are two 4-bay pedimented fronts with a narrow linking
bay between topped by a short square tower, and to the right
is a 3-bay parapeted section. Plinth to the sections on the
left carries a narrow cantilevered balcony with plain iron
railings. Pedimented sections have angle pilasters, the outer
ones rising to small square turrets, the inner ones flanking
the linking bay which has a central full-height keyed
round-arched blind panel. The pedimented fronts form a handed
pair, each with a full-height pilastered blind arcade of 4
arched panels with ashlar keystones and rubbed-brick impost
mouldings, the outer panels round-arched, the wider twin
central panels with elliptical arches, one of which in each
section has been replaced by a first-floor loading door
beneath a lintel.
Ground floor: central 2 bays to each section have segmental
relieving arches and single sliding loading doors, the outer
bays have round-headed glazing-bar windows. Large square
cast-iron tie-bar ends at first-floor level with lettering "G
G I Co Ld". Round-headed blind first-floor openings. Moulded
brick cornices and friezes, that to right with painted
inscription "THE GRIMSBY ICE CO LTD"; traces of former painted
lettering to left frieze. Both pediments have a blind keyed
oculus, stone coping with central finial. Central tower has
angle pilasters with blind slits, small central opening with a
bracketed wooden bell-frame below, and a moulded and dentilled
brick cornice. Angle turrets have panelled sides, moulded
cornices and pyramidal ashlar caps. 3-bay section to right
also has a full-height pilastered blind arcade of recessed
panels, the outer bays round-arched, the inner bay
elliptical-arched, each containing keyed arched openings with
moulded imposts: a blind opening to ground-floor centre, the
openings to the left bay with glazing-bar windows, the others
partly blocked and with various inserted C20 openings. Rebuilt
coped parapet. These left-hand ranges have first-floor iron
balconies and walkways, and a pair of overhead gantries with
ice conveyors crossing the street to the dockside.
The lower 8-bay range to the right has a chamfered plinth and
recessed panels to each bay, the 2 left bays rendered and with
inserted C20 ground-floor doors, the 5 bays to the right with
round-headed windows with glazing bars, stone sills and flush
sill band, moulded brick imposts and impost band; blind panel
to far right with sill and impost band.
The north factory unit, beyond the railway passage, has an
angled 2-storey section with fronts to the passage and to
Stuart Wortley Street (described below). Behind this is a
taller section facing Gorton Street, with a 3-bay pedimented
section with a tower adjoining to the left, both with angle
pilasters.
The tower has a narrow round-headed blind panel to each side
with an elongated keystone, moulded brick cornice, coped
parapet; central copper dome surmounted by a flagpole, flanked
by 4 small domes. Pedimented section has pilastered arcade
with moulded brick imposts, round-headed keyed arches
containing round-headed recessed panels, those to right with
an inserted door and window. Tympanum has central blocked
round-arched opening with keystone, stone coping with central
ball finial; angle pilaster to right capped with small square
turret.
Secondary front to Fish Dock Road: north factory unit, from
left, has 2-storey 5-bay section and slightly taller 2-bay
section with coped parapets, and a symmetrical 3-storey 5-bay
section to right with central 3 bays topped with a pediment.
Sections to left have full-height recessed panels to each bay;
the first 5 bays with round-headed blind openings to ground
floor and square-headed blind openings to first floor beneath
cambered brick arches, all with sills. 2 bays to right have
round-headed glazing-bar windows to ground floor, similar
openings to first floor with lunettes above blind panels.
Pedimented section, flanked by pilasters, has 3 recessed
segmental-arched panels below containing 3-light ground-floor
windows with glazing bars beneath heavy steel lintels,
chequered brick panels above and 3-light first-floor windows
with sills and glazing bars. Above is a pilastered blind
arcade of narrow round-headed panels with moulded brick
imposts and ashlar keystones, containing recessed round-headed
glazing-bar windows with sills. Moulded brick cornice and
frieze with painted lettering "THE GRIMSBY ICE COMPANY LTD".
Pediment has moulded brick cornice, small oculus with
elongated keystones, stone coping with central ball finial.
Flanking pilasters capped with square turrets with blind
panels, moulded cornices and pyramidal caps. Single flanking
bays have continuation of cornice and frieze and pilasters
capped with turrets: bay to left has a round-headed
ground-floor entrance with double doors beneath a steel
lintel, chequered brick tympanum and keyed arch; bay to right
forms one side of an angle turret beside the railway passage.
South factory unit, to right of the railway passage: has front
of 2 builds to Fish Dock Road. Earlier section to left has
1:3:1 bays with recessed panels to each bay. Wider outer bays
have keyed round-headed ground-floor openings with glazing-bar
windows, that to right incorporating a central door; single
circular windows above with glazing bars. 3 narrower central
bays have recessed round-headed panels containing ground-floor
windows beneath lintels, and round-headed first-floor windows,
all with stone sills and glazing bars. Coped parapet. Section
to right has 2 large glazed panels, each of 6 lights, with 3
tiers of windows; coped parapet.
Stuart Wortley Road front of north factory unit: 2 storeys,
with a tall 3-bay central section flanked by lower 6-bay
sections. Recessed panels to each bay. Left section has 2
full-height blind panels and a wide ground-floor entrance to
the right beneath a steel lintel, with 4 recessed panels above
containing round-headed first-floor windows with glazing bars;
parapet with later C20 concrete coping. Central 3-bay section
has pilasters between bays and angle pilasters capped by
square turrets. Ground floor: pair of tall keyed round-arched
openings to left, one with loading door, the other partly
blocked and with an inserted window, both with steel lintels
at impost level and chequered brick tympana. Round-headed
glazing-bar window to right. Above, recessed round-headed
panels with keystones and moulded brick imposts, containing
blind round-headed openings with sills, that to left with a
small inserted door and iron balcony. Coped parapet ramped up
to pedimented front to Gorton Street to left.
Railway passage elevations: northern factory unit, from left,
has 20-bay section of 2 and 3 storeys, a single-bay tower, and
a low 2-storey range with 5 irregular first-floor openings.
20-bay section has blue brick to ground floor, recessed panels
to each bay. 4 bays to left have 3-light ground-floor and
first-floor windows with glazing bars beneath steel lintels,
separated by chequered brick panels. Above are round-headed
openings containing lunettes with sills above blind panels,
one with a door to an iron gantry walkway linked to the
southern factory unit. 15 bays to right have round-headed
openings to ground floor, one with a blind panel, another with
an inserted door, the others with glazing-bar windows, some
beneath louvres. Above, round-headed blind panels with blind
lunettes with sills. Stepped brick eaves cornice (for turret
see Gorton Street front). Section to right has blocked
ground-floor door to left of centre and wide 4-light wooden
first-floor window with glazing bars and boarded apron beneath
steel lintel; to left, a pair of blind square-headed
first-floor openings; to right, 2 bays with recessed panels
containing round-headed windows to each floor; coped parapet.
Railway passage elevation of southern factory unit has 5
2-storey parapeted sections of varying height, with 4, 5, 3,
2, and 5 first-floor openings. 3 sections to left have 3
square-headed doors, one blocked, and a blocked round-headed
door, round-headed and segmental-headed glazing-bar windows to
ground and first floor. Taller 2-bay range to right of centre
has recessed panels containing round-headed glazing-bar
windows, that to first-floor right with a door and gantry
walkway to northern factory unit. 5-bay section to right has
full-height recessed round-headed panels with ground-floor and
first-floor glazing-bar windows similar to adjoining Fish Dock
Road front.
INTERIOR: massive girder construction supports 6 rows of
refrigeration tanks on 2 floors complete with machinery for
producing blocks of ice. The factory was converted to
electricity in 1933 and compressors remain in the Compressor
Room. The northern unit has been partly cleared but massive
girder construction remains.
HISTORY: built following the amalgamation of the Grimsby Ice
Company with the Co-operative Ice Company. The factory
supplied ice for fish packing. The overhead gantries on the
Gorton Street front carried ice into the dockside fish-landing
building opposite. Ceased production 1990. The Grimsby Ice
Company was one of Grimsby's leading fishing companies, and
also built the Fisherlads' Home, for fishing apprentices, in
Convamore Road (qv).
This ice factory illustrates Grimsby's importance as the
world's foremost fishing centre in the earlier C20. This
building is understood to be the earliest remaining ice
factory in the UK. Furthermore it is believed to be the sole
survivor, complete with its machinery, from this period.
(Ambler R W: Great Grimsby Fishing Heritage - a brief for a
trail: Grimsby Borough Council: 1990: pp34-35; National
Fishing Heritage Centre: Great Grimsby Heritage Trail: 1991-).
Listing NGR: TA2779910694
