| Administrative History | Having worked as a poultry breeder in Marlpool during the First World War and building his own sheds, Herbert 'Vic' Hallam (1898-1992) set up his own business in 1921 manufacturing and selling wooden outhouses. "He soon took on his brothers Jack, as Works Manager, and Dennis as Transport Manager. By 1933, he was employing 32 people, and in 1935 became a limited company, with Vic and Jack as co-directors. The biggest order to date came in 1938 with the building of the Derbyshire Miners’ Holiday Camp in Skegness". That same year, Hallam's relocated to a larger site in Langley Mill, although they were not able to occupy the site until after the Second World War as it was requisitioned for the manufacture of ammunitions.
In the early 1950s, partly following discussions with the county architect, F. Hamer Crossley, the company developed the 'Derwent System of Component Construction', as a British version of the Austrian system of timber-framed prefabricated buildings. Primarily designed for school buildings (the first of which was built in Hackenthorpe, then in Derbyshire), the design was also used for offices, clincs, hostels, libraries, welfare centres, sports centre and motorway service stations.
The company closed in 1995, although the family's connection with the firm had come to an end in the 1970s. |
| Administrative History Sources | - D8534/2/1 Brochure for Derwent System
- Heanor and District Local History Society 'Vic Hallam Ltd', www.heanorhistory.org.uk/vic-hallam-ltd/, accessed 10 July 2024.
- Morrison Design, Chartered Architects (2 Oct 2018) 'A look back at our innovative ‘Derwent’ timber-frame system', www.morrisondesign.co.uk/a-look-back-at-our-innovative-derwent-timber-frame-system/, accessed 10 July 2024. |
| Custodial History | These records were donated to Derbyshire Record Office by a former customer of the firm in June 2024. Leaflets relating to Derbyshire heritage sites and events were transferred to the Local Studies Collection. |