The Ice House receives £2 million in funding from NLHF
With the help of almost £2m from the Heritage Fund, The Ice House is set to be transformed into the UK’s Centre of Excellence in Outdoor Circus and Arts.
“Historic Ice House transformed into centre for Circus Arts, Great Yarmouth (Grant - £1,968,061)”
The Ice House is set to be transformed into a new Centre of Excellence in Outdoor Circus and Arts. Built between 1851 and 1892, the Ice House was once a vital asset in the town's once-thriving fishing industry, enabling the storage of freshly caught seafood before transportation to London's Billingsgate fish market. In the mid-19th century, the Ice House stood at the forefront of an industrial revolution that would propel the town's fortunes to new heights. However, as modern technologies advanced, the Ice House fell into disuse, serving for some time as a grain store. The completion of the project, which is being led by Out There Arts, would be a significant step towards the realisation of a vision for Great Yarmouth being recognised as the UK Capital for Circus and Outdoor Arts.
The development for The Ice House has been a long term project for Out There Arts. Much of the vision had been established with the local community through community consultations and events surrounding the building.
“We are absolutely delighted with this award, it is the culmination of over five years of work for the Out There Arts team.”
— Joe Mackintosh
"The team has worked tirelessly to develop the plans and funding for The Ice House and much of this was worked on with the community through community consultations.”
Joe continues “This means that all funding required to realise the entire scheme is now in place and the building works can commence early in 2024.”
"This will transform a historically important building in Great Yarmouth’s history from an underused storage shed, into a publicly accessible cultural hub. Thousands of people will benefit from this and it will strengthen Great Yarmouth’s year round cultural offer."
