The red brick building consisted of two factories separated by a passage. At its prime it produced 1,270 metric tons of ice every 24 hours.
Water was taken from local bore holes and placed in moulds containing brine.
When the ice was required conveyer belts took the three-hundred weight blocks to a crusher.
The crushed ice was then taken by another conveyer belt to the quay side where it was dropped into the fish room of the trawlers via a chute.
At a later stage cement mixers were converted to deliver the ice

But in 1990 the factory became redundant. Over the years the factory has fallen into disrepair

In the last few years, discussion about the further destiny of the Ice House has taken place in the community

There are people and some local authority representatives who advocate demolishing the building as soon as it possible.
For example, the Grimsby MP, Austin Mitchell considers that restoring the factory is not a �realistic proposition�.
Martin Vickers, the Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate for Cleethorpes,
echoes him, calling upon people to take a �realistic view.�
The future one of Grimsby’s most famous buildings is on thin ice now

But the building was listed as Grade II* � which means that it is considered to be amongst the top six per cent of listed buildings in the country.
Over 100 years ago fishing and fish were the economic life of Grimsby.
In their hey-day, Grimsby Fish Docks and its accessory Ice House were the largest in the world and in our time they are of national heritage significance.
Of course, nowadays the Ice House is out-dated and has lost its function but can we afford to destroy this historic building?
Why not breathe new life into it?

Giles Proctor, English Heritage's Team Leader, considers that the building should be repaired and converted to a sustainable new use.
And there are people, who know how to do it.

Here are three viewpoints. Look up at it and have your say