Grimsby Ice Factory 'at risk'

A derelict building that was the backdrop for a Hollywood blockbuster has been added to a worldwide list of cultural sites that's at risk of being lost for good.

The Ice Factory in Grimsby, which was a location for the film 'Atonement', is thought to be the oldest and largest surviving building of its type and the listing could secure it's future. James Webster reports.

The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust say they hope the inclusion of the town's ice factory on the World Monument Fund's biannual watch list will help them secure heritage lottery funding to save the building. Secretary Graeme Bassett says they have ambitious plans for transforming it.

Grimsby's Ice Factory is a unique survivor of the Victorian industrial era. The building contains equipment designed, manufactured and installed by a British refrigeration company whose origins lie in the 17th century.

• The Grade 2* listed structure is thought to be the oldest and largest surviving of its type in the world.
• Construction began in 1898 and the building was finished in 1901.
• At one time it was the largest ice factory in the world (4350 square metres)
• At its peak 1200 tonnes of ice was produced per day.

• The Kasbah is the historic Victorian dock area to the north of the factory.
• The building has been on English Heritage's 'Heritage At Risk Register' since 2008.

The head of the campaign group fighting to save one of Grimsby's most endangered buildings says she is pleased it has now been added to a list of the world's most important heritage sites that are at risk of being lost.

Vicky Hartung from the Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust says it confirms their belief that the building is of international importance.

Grimsby's historic ice factory and kasbah has been added to a worldwide list of sites of historical interest that are considered to be endangered. The building was closed in 1990 and today stands derelict. The Great Grimsby Ice Factory Trust is working to try to secure a new future for it.

The World Monument Fund's bi-annual watch list has been released and the ice factory has been added to it along with Sulgrave Manor in Northamptonshire, Battersea Power Station and Deptford Dockyard. The list aims to focus international attention on sites of cultural heritage that are 'at risk'.

Read: Ice Factory Trust starts new push to save endangered building (August 2012)