Ice House
In the nineteenth century, packing in ice was the only way that fresh fish could be transported around the country. The ice house in Great Yarmouth is a unique survivor of an industrial ice house with a huge thatched roof and buttressed brick walls. Grade 2 listed, it is located on the bank of the river Yare in the centre of the town. Redundant since the advent of refrigeration it was altered and used for grain storage but is now to become a National Centre for Outdoor Arts and Circus, the vision of Out There Arts, an independent arts development charity who deliver opportunities for artists and communities by supporting, hosting and delivering circus and street arts projects and events.
With support from the Architectural Heritage fund and the National Lottery Fund, the building will be extended to accommodate service rooms, wcs etc with the main body of the 42,500 cubic meter space of the ice house repurposed to provide performance and rehearsal space with a first floor mezzanine leading put to a substantial balcony that overlooks the river referencing the original high level external platform that provided the only access for loading ice into the building.
The visually disengaged long narrow canted timber clad form of the extension to the north is reminiscent of boat construction with the plan following the memory of the packing sheds that originally sat alongside.
