# The great grimsby ice factory..



## Mikeymutt (Oct 10, 2017)

me and man gone wrong were debating what to do so we come up with a choice of places and decided to have a go at this,and a few other places he had never been and I had visited a few yeas back,but was not over happy with my shots from here and missed huge parts of it.so off we go hoping that we get through the secca barrier ok and in before the port authority drive down the road,and we got in ok and it was a bit different way in this time..i have a bit of a fascination for this place its very unique.construction of the factory started in 1898 and completed in 1901.the factory was built to accommodate the massive fishing industry growing in Grimsby.it became the largest factory of its type in the world and one of the largest refrigeration buildings in the world.a massive decline in the need for ice with onboard refrigeration in the boats meant the factory slowly cut down production and in 1990 the factory shut down for good.the ice was originally made by ammonia compressors starting the process powered by stema engines the steam was provided by six lancashire boilers but in 1930 new electric compressors were added a total of four made by J and L hall and were powered by wellington ickers motors.these were the largest of this sort ever built.and the only remaining ones left.a fith one was added in 1950.the water was poured into massive tray lined with brine and then it was crushed and then taken up and on conveyor belts straight to the docks and on the boats.there was seven ice rooms in total at its peak with the factory producing 1200 tonnes a day.there is a group trying to save the building but not to much joy there as the are struggling to get funding and the port authority really eem to have no interest in the building which is a crying shame really

Looking down over the four compressors







Sadly there looks like to have been a few idiots in since my last visit spraying stupid little tags.luckily enough there was not loads


































Switch gear for the compressors










This was the lateradded compressor five 










small office up the top with a drawing board and the rotting remains of some plasns
















This was the pump house were the water would be extracted from boreholes in the ground




Don't know wat these valves were used to operate but I liked them.










Up the stairs to ice tank rooms one and two.its a bit ropey up here..looking over tank room one










Looking across rooms one to two.you can see the pipes on the wall that were used to feed water into the tanks













you can see on the roof how bad things have got




the main building and another building are separate the other building is tank rooms five and six.the way across was a rusty old bridge.which I don't know why I crossed it that high up.







Looking over tank room five I stayed on the concrete pad I did look at the spiral taircase but it was all rotten around it so left it,there are four spiral staircases in the factory




The upper and lower amonia tanks







Heading back down to the pump beds




This was the original boiler house.six boilers sat in here once













Down below is tank rooms three and four






















And lastly we have rusty the uebex fox he followed us around for quite a bit and even laid down watching me take photos


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## HughieD (Oct 10, 2017)

Best report of year. Fab place and amazing pictures.


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## RedX_unleashed (Oct 11, 2017)

Went past this place many times as a kid and always wondered about it's innards. One of my early explores was pretty close to here, in Louth - about 15 miles south of Grimsby, over the Wolds. Pretty sure I have a video of it somewhere but it's very old! Thanks for sharing Mikey


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## krela (Oct 11, 2017)

Beautifully done Mikey, such a shame it won't make a viable museum.


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## Snailsford (Oct 11, 2017)

Absolutely stunning.


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## smiler (Oct 11, 2017)

Outstanding Mikey, Loved it, nice that Foxy Kept her eye on you, Thanks


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## Dirus_Strictus (Oct 11, 2017)

Very nice Mikey and that last image is just beautiful!! A classic case of why 'Listing' hardly ever saves old plant like this. This place was on its last legs when I frequently visited the place in the early '60's. The building was constructed within strict financial limits and with a finite operational lifespan in mind. It now wants a fortune spending on it to make it weather proof and even if that is done, it is still a H&S nightmare if one has Joe Public wandering about the plant. The good citizen's of Grimsby are not going to stomach a vast increase in Council Tax and visitor numbers are highly unlikely to cover the costs in day to day running, never mind preservation and maintenance. Sadly there has been a lot of rubbish aired about this place over the years since it stopped production. Feasibly it would be possible to take one compressor unit and build a replica of one of the ice production 'lines' - housed in a purpose built building with 'touch screens' and other interactive interfaces, it would be possible to bring the process back into the 21st Century and show the tourist what went on. The question is, would they be bothered? What is undoubtably true, is that the plant as is, is a H&S nightmare as far as the 'tourist' is concerned. Sadly over my lifetime I have seen too many of these 'good intentions' ending up under the dozer, or lit up by the arsonist's match!


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## Sam Haltin (Oct 11, 2017)

A very nice and comprehensive report. Seems to be more pigeon poo this time compared with your last visit.


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## Mikeymutt (Oct 13, 2017)

Thank you all.there was a lot more poo in the compressor hall.sadly nothing will happen here till like ds says it's burns or falls to the ground and would take millions to renovate it and it is not a viable option sadly I just wished the compressors could be saved


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## prettyvacant71 (Oct 13, 2017)

Fantastic report Mikey! I didn't dare going up on them dodgy floors by myself so it's great you managed it and got some great pics so I know what I missed out on haha! And you caught the urbex fox! There was a fox there when I went but it scampered off quickly so i wonder if that's the same one or related

I love this place too, I'm hoping that something good happens to it as its truly unique!

Thanks for the update Mikey really enjoyed it!


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## Stranstringulon (Mar 19, 2018)

Things may be looking up for this place.

https://www.coolingpost.com/uk-news/ice-factory-thrown-heritage-lifeline/


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## Mikeymutt (Mar 19, 2018)

Hmm God knows what they will do with it.would cost millions upon millions.then to do what with it.i think the port authority would love to just demolish it.i hope that never happens it's such a beautiful building


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## BikinGlynn (Mar 19, 2018)

Still on my to do list this one, love big machinery!


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## aShooter (Mar 29, 2018)

Hi, this was on our local evening news just the other night, looks like the Heritage commission are going to save the it and surrounding area. Great images by the way.


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## TranKmasT (Mar 29, 2018)

I get a dryness in my throat just from looking at all the caked pigeon poop. Nice set.


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## Teesskin (Oct 20, 2021)

Where is the Great Grimsby Ice factory? - looking for the location on Google maps it seems to have either become a car park 
​


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## Foxylady (Oct 21, 2021)

Great explore and photos, Mikey. I reckon there's enough pigeon poo to build a cob-walled cottage with there, lol. So much interesting machinery and, at the risk of sounding girly, those valves are really cute!


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## Hayman (Oct 21, 2021)

From 2017: "A classic case of why 'Listing' hardly ever saves old plant like this." "Oh, my dear, don't mention ice factories - they're 'TRADE'. We don't do trade at Heritage England; it's so working class".


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## Dirus_Strictus (Oct 21, 2021)

Let's watch this space! The whole deep sea fishing industry wants properly recording and remembering = those brave fishermen who risked their lives every trip to give us our fish and two penny worth, deserve a proper memorial!


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## verdigris (Oct 21, 2021)

thanks for the pics and history - didn't know anything about it before.
like the spiral staircase - wouldn't be allowed now, would it ?


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## Teesskin (Nov 2, 2021)

So the Great Grimsby ice factory is NOW A building site and being restored! No further access


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## BikinGlynn (Nov 2, 2021)

Teesskin said:


> So the Great Grimsby ice factory is NOW A building site and being restored! No further access


is it really, what are they doing with it?


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## wolfism (Nov 3, 2021)

Teesskin said:


> So the Great Grimsby ice factory is NOW A building site and being restored! No further access


Glad that it's being restored ... but don't assume that there's no access just because it's now a building site. Circumstances change, access changes...


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## BikinGlynn (Nov 3, 2021)

wolfism said:


> Glad that it's being restored ... but don't assume that there's no access just because it's now a building site. Circumstances change, access changes...



What are they going to do restore it as original? for what purpose I wonder, I cant imagine it would be a big tourist attraction


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## BikinGlynn (Nov 3, 2021)

Ah I should of looked first 








Rescue work planned for Ice Factory as theatre dream moves closer


The Ice Factory was once a main attraction of Grimsby docks




www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk


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