Former Macraes Smoke Houses

The former Macraes Smoke Houses, also known as Cawoods Fish Curers, are disused fish smoking houses and processing sheds located on Essex Street in Kingston upon Hull. Built around 1890, they have undergone minor alterations in the 20th century. The buildings are constructed of brick and feature slate and corrugated asbestos roofs.

The northern smoke house is tall and windowless, equipped with a narrow longitudinal flue that is surrounded by a catwalk and guard rail, supporting ten metal cowls with hoods and shaped vanes. The southern smoke house originally had ten similar cowls, of which seven remain intact; one has collapsed. These cowls are mounted directly on the ridge and are also surrounded by a catwalk and guard rail. Between the two smoke houses, there are a series of processing sheds and offices that have north-light roofs.

The interiors of the smoke houses still contain their original kilns with fittings and original doors. These smoke houses represent a distinctive type of building associated with the Hull fishing industry, which thrived from around 1880 to 1970.