J & E Hall is an English manufacturer of refrigeration equipment (today part of the Daikin group). It was originally established as an iron works in Dartford, Kent in 1785, with products including papermaking machines, steam engines and gun carriages, before it started producing refrigeration machinery in the 1880s. During the early 20th century, the company diversified to produce commercial vehicles (branded as Hallford, 1906–1926), lifts and escalators, before refocusing on its core refrigeration and air conditioning products in the late 1960s. The company retains a head office and some R&D facilities in Dartford.
History
The company was originally established in 1785 in Lowfield Street, Dartford by smith and millwright John Hall (1764–1836).[1] Originally from Alton, Hampshire, the second son of a millwright who had previously worked in Dartford, Hall moved to Dartford in 1784, and was employed to repair a mill on the River Darent in Hawley, after which he set up his own business, repairing and maintaining machinery used in corn, paper, oil and powder mills in and around Dartford.[2]
Bryan Donkin was one of the firm's earliest apprentices.[3] Around 1800, the firm moved to larger premises in Waterside (now Hythe Street) on land which had once formed part of Dartford Priory,[2] where its association with Donkin, now involved in the area's papermaking industry, helped it expand in partnership with the Fourdrinier brothers and John Gamble, to make paper machines.[3]
Association with Richard Trevithick
J & E Hall is strongly associated with the late career of steam engine pioneer Richard Trevithick. In 1832, he was invited by John Hall to work on a steam engine at the Dartford works, and lodged nearby at The Bull (today The Royal Victoria and Bull Hotel) in High Street. In early 1833, Trevithick was taken ill with pneumonia and died at the Bull on the morning of 22 April 1833. Colleagues at Hall's works made a collection for his funeral expenses, acted as bearers, and paid a night watchman to guard his grave at night to deter grave robbers.
Trevithick was buried in an unmarked grave in St Edmund's Burial Ground, East Hill, Dartford. The burial ground closed in 1857, with the gravestones being removed in the 1960s. A plaque marks the approximate spot believed to be the site of the grave.[11] The plaque lies on the side of the park, near the East Hill gate, and an unlinked path.
Other notable engineers connected with J & E Hall
- Bryan Donkin
- Thomas Pullinger
- Walter Gordon Wilson
External links
References
- John Hall (of Dartford) Grace's Guide, retrieved 23 May 2017^
- John Hall: innovator in engineering Dartford Town Archive, retrieved 23 May 2017^
- J. and E. Hall Grace's Guide, retrieved 22 May 2017^