Funded by the Reverend John Scargill in 1662, West Hallam Village Hall is part of a lasting legacy of his philanthropy and the heritage of West Hallam Village.
Becoming “Parson” of West Hallam in 1639, the Reverend John Scargill continued to serve the community for twenty-three years, until his death in 1662 at the age of 74.
In his will, he left £540 for the purchase of a farm at Eastwood, leaving instruction that the first two years’ rent from the farm should meet the cost of building a free school, with a Christian Foundation, in West Hallam. Built at a total cost of approximately £76, the original school room was an adequate 24 ft. x 24 ft.
The Village Hall was originally built by the Foundation as a result of the rising interest in education during the 19th century – an infant school for girls was constructed in the 1850s and continued to be used until the 1970s, when it was finally closed.
Such was the importance of the building to the local community, it was saved from demolition in 1973, and has since been operated by the West Hallam Charity for meetings and various other activities.
As a listed building, the restoration project required a sensitive approach, with attention to detail being an essential ingredient to bring the building back to its former glory.
Automatic Access Limited was approached by the Electrical contractor and Architect to provide an easy solution to opening the new glazed heavy Oak doors. As a great way to retain heat within the building, and therefore to save on energy bills, we supplied and installed a pair of automatic swing door openers, which provide easy access for everyone.
In keeping with the building, the automatic door operator needed to be integral to the improvements and modernisation and were thus installed inside a continuous cover, which fitted the aesthetics of the Old Hall perfectly.