The conversion of a historic building in Great Yarmouth is taking shape as the final straw is added to its thatched roof.
The Ice House on Bridge Road is being transformed into an art and cultural centre with Out There Arts.
The street and circus arts company plans to convert the Grade II-listed landmark into the National Centre for Arts and Circus, with facilities for circus training and teaching, as well as an event space.
The 19th-century building is a prominent survivor of Great Yarmouth's herring fishing industry which once dominated the town.
The building used to accommodate hundreds of fishing boats and thousands of herring workers who landed, packaged and delivered Yarmouth’s ‘silver darlings’.
Brineflow purchased the Ice House in the late 1970s and refurbished the building in 1981.
John Fuller, chairman of Brineflow said: "The local families that own the Ice House have been delighted to pass on the privilege of looking after this Yarmouth icon to a new organisation.
“We are proud that this historic building will one day be open to the public so many more people can appreciate the way in which it helped shape the Great Yarmouth we know today."
As part of the transfer of the building to Out There Arts, Brineflow granted an additional £20,000 to maintain and refurbish the thatched roof.
Out There Arts has also been handed support by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to aid the development phase of the Ice House through public consultation.
The arts company will host a series of community sessions at The Drill House and surrounding areas where the general public will be invited to have their say on the heritage celebrations.
Registrations are now open, and people are invited to celebrate the heritage and future of the Ice House.
To book your place at the public consultations, visit www.outtherearts.org.uk/the-ice-house
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