“Yes, indeed Jo, we don't have any real control over English Heritage and we don't seem to have much control over the council, despite voting for them (unless you are a NOTA). Sadly, the council doesn't exercise its existing control over ABP which, as owner of the property, also has its rights. We have to ask, surely, "What's going on?" Or shouldn't the GT be asking, for us?

Fortunately, our much more publicly-accessible heritage structure -- the p.s. 'Lincoln Castle' could be available to you all, with a say in what its future should be. Contact the Lincoln Castle Preservation Society at for a membership application or to make a donation. Contact the p.s.'Lincoln Castle' Trust via if you think you can contribute 'in kind', with expertise and labour, in the conservation and future use of OUR vesssel -- painters, scrapers, chippers, welders, fitters, joiners, teachers, lawyers, architects, engineers... and, not last, AND CERTAINLY NOT LEAST:... tea-ladies (and gents) sandwich-makers...

This is something where you can have direct input without having to deal with quangos and councils. The Society and the Trust are both beavering away in those directions on your behalf, but it ain't arf ard work!

Come on chaps. That ship is important, even nationally and internationally, and accessible to us all, unlike the 'ice factory'. If you want to see what THAT's really like, Google 'grimsby ice house -- or factory -- and see "squirrel"'s pictures...

Talk's cheap in relation to inaccessible ice plants. A little bit of dosh could make all the difference to the 'Lincoln Castle' and could show the world that despite councils and qangos, ordinary people CARE.”

“I think what's most frustrating, is that we'll have no say or control over what happens to it either way.
It's a privately owned building (in as much as ABP is seemingly a law unto itself) and the decisions have probably already been made.

I don't know whether this story and poll were suggested to the GT by the Council, but often, straw polls like this are a way of sounding out how the public are going to react to decisions that have already been taken and which are about to be announced. It gives them fair warning of how to spin stuff to their best advantage.

What a sham democracy we live in.”

“Dear me -- and everybody. Jo, Neil, me, all in agreement? wot's goin on!?
don't ask me why heritage organizations, both nationally and locally, like the talk-shop civic society, and english heritage, give more regard to a dilapidation of a privately owned building on private property with almost totally restricted public access than they do to a vessel that did far more for the local area's economic and social development with 100% public access throughout its working life than a hundred ice factories 'down dock' ever could have done!
let's face it, the ice factory made ice for trawlers; the trawlers were owned, largely, by local 'captains of industry'. The crews got little; the ice-workers got little; and the rest of the Grimbarians only got a small portion of what the workers spent locally.
However, the 'Lincoln Castle' and its railway line were important enough to the railway company and north-east Lincolnshire to escape the Beeching Axe when even the line to London, now known as Peaks Parkway, got the chop. You should see the frequency of trains and the frequency of stations on that short line from Cleethorpes to New Holland plus the little Barrow Haven/Barton spur. They are still there. So is the 'Lincoln Castle'. Just.
Make yor mark and it'll stay! There'll be nothing else in the historic Haven (a.k.a. Alexandra Dock - South Arm) wotteva the claptrap Masterplan says.”

“Restore the Ice House!! It has so much potential as a fishing and heritage museum. Our town is built on the dock and its community and this is where the heritage museum should be. I agree with turning the newer fishing heritage building into a more modern gallery, thus allowing new local artists an environment in which to display their talent as well as preserving what is a beautiful old building.”

“If the council had had the forsight to begin with when the ice house first became empty we would now have a fantastic museum and fishing heritage centre but no one on the council seems to have that. Instead we are left with a run down building and all our heritage and artifacts in a warehouse somewhere on a industrial estate where no one can see them. We also have a fishing heritage centre where when asked about our brave fishermen and the boats they sailed in don,t know the answers. So come on councillers if you think so much about our heritage get your finger out and prove it.”

“Why should the council pick up a £10 million pound tab for the ice house? What needs to be done and should have been done long ago is an order making ABP liable to make the building water tight. Just repairing the roof would stop further deterioration. The building could have many uses. It's already been used as a film set. I'm sure with a little effort and enthisiasm other uses could be found for it. I am sick and fed up with seeing buildings that in any other town would be preserved pulled down only to be replaced by bland modern buildings with no character.”

“Preserve the building, move the fishing heritage centre there,(lots more space,and where it should be,on the docks!) then turn the heritage centre into an art gallery or the lincoln castle booking office,for trips up and down the Freshney,
or sell it to a company that will turn it into an ice making factory, to make ice to sell to all the big supermarkets,
Genuine Grimsby Ice for your BBQ'S
worth a go?”

“I think you need to take a step back and think about the future of your town Great Grimsby. You need to save your heritage, 'Great Grimsby' wouldn't exsist if it wasn't for the docks and the past history of the town. As a frequent visitor, some of my favourite land marks are the oldest, the Victoria Mills building and Corporation Bridge. If you demolish all the old buildings, like the Ice house, the earliest surviving of its kind in Britain, then what is there to see....A shopping centre thats the same as any other anywhere in the country!! Appartments that are the same as any other appartments every where in the country!!! The Ice house is unique and can be turned into a useable space for the whole community, create jobs whilst renovating it and provide jobs in the buildings future use, as a land mark for tourism in the town to preserve the towns heritage...We should be re-using these old buildings not wasting energy in building new ones!!!”

“Flatten it it is a blot on the landscape.
Build a new football ground on it. No sorry that is too close to Great Coates”

“What use is it apart from being a run down roost for a multitude of birds?
Knock it down and do something useful with the area.
Take a leaf out of Hull's run down dock area. With a little bit of forethought, it could be regenerated by investments from Local businesses. Dont bother asking the Council to do anything as they only have 2 washers, a broken button and a sticky sweet covered in fluff to spend. Even then, theres rumours they invested one of the washers in Iceland banks again!

Knock it down, its an eyesore.

Welcome to Grimsby, on your left you will see a decrepit useless building which it seems nobody is prepared to do anything with! And thats Grimsby for you!”