West Hallam is a large village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

close to

Ilkeston Ilkeston is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England, on the River Erewash, from which the borough takes its name, with a population at the 2011 census of 38,640. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/texti ...

in the county of

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

in the

East Midlands The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It comprises the eastern half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It consists of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Li ...

region of England. West Hallam has had its own parish council since 1894 and, since 1974, has been part of the Erewash borough. The population of the civil parish was 4,829 at the 2001 census reducing to 4,686 at the 2011 census.

Early history

Although it is not known exactly when the village was founded, it existed at the time of the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

in 1086. St Wilfrid's Church is over 700 years old."The West Hallam Heritage" by Brenda Parker BA (rev 1987) In the 16th and 17th centuries, West Hallam had a reputation for Catholic sympathies at a time when Catholics were persecuted. Until the early 20th century West Hallam was a small rural village and the property of the Newdigate family. Most jobs were in the agricultural area with mining work locally in the

Erewash Valley The Erewash Valley is the valley of the River Erewash (pronounced ) on the border of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire as far as the River Trent. It runs along the boundary of the southern end of the Derbyshire hills and the more rolling Nottinghamsh ...

coalfield. There was also a

West Hallam railway station West Hallam railway station was a railway station located between the villages of Stanley and West Hallam in Derbyshire, England. It was opened by the Great Northern Railway (Great Britain) on its Derbyshire Extension in 1878. History The ...

, connected to the Great Northern Railway and

Derby Friargate Station Derby Friargate railway station was the main station in Derby on the Great Northern Railway Derbyshire Extension, popularly known as the (Derby) Friargate Line. History The line opened on 1 April 1878. The station was on the Derbyshire and ...

Twentieth century

The Newdigate family finally parted with their interest as Lords of the Manor in 1914. The later 20th century saw rapid change, with both the collieries and the railway disappearing during the 1960s. Stanley Colliery (known locally as 'Nibby Pit') on Station Road was the last to close in 1959 and some buildings remain, now in industrial use. The railway station is now Station House, a private residence. The colliery spoil tips were removed and landscaped and after much opencast coal extraction the area regained its traditional rural appeal from the 1970s onward. In the 1970s and 1980s a major new housing development dramatically increased the village's population. The former Second World War Army Ordnance Depot off Cat and Fiddle Lane to the south of the village was reopened in the 1960s as Midland Storage (now known as TDG Pinnacle) and remains a significant local employer. Most residents are now employed away from West Hallam, some even commuting daily as far as London.

Amenities

One of present-day West Hallam's more notable places is the Bottle Kiln. On the site of the former West Hallam Pottery – which once had two such kilns and was virtually derelict for many years – this well-renovated bottle kiln and supporting buildings now houses an art and crafts gallery, a café and a Japanese-style tea garden and gift shop. A valuable open space is the recreational area at Straw's Bridge (also known as Swan Lake) on West Hallam's eastern border, on the A609, with

. This popular lake and walking area was formed from a flood meadow and the site of the old West Hallam Sewage Works in around 1990. This site was opencast mined in the late 1980s and the restored site along with some adjacent land forming part of the Ilkeston area known as 'Manor' or 'Manners Floods' forms the Straw's Bridge area today. Other facilities include a village hall in The Village, a community centre on Station Road, and Scargill Church of England Primary School on Beech Lane. There is now only one functioning pub, the busy Newdigate (formerly The Newdigate Arms); The 17th-century Punch Bowl closed (perhaps permanently) in 2022 and the White Hart was demolished in August 2020 to make way for four- and five-bedroom houses. The Dales Shopping Centre in The Village includes a Tesco Express Store, chemist, pizzeria, a Chinese and an Indian take-away as well as a fish and chip shop. Two medical centres/doctors surgeries and a chiropractor's practice can also be found there. Four public recreation grounds can also be found within West Hallam. West Hallam is also well provided as far as local charities are concerned. As well as the Rev John Scargill's charity, established in 1662 and still going strong, needy locals may benefit from the Ann Powtrell Foundation and the West Hallam Trust (West Hallam United Charities), all of which are long established.

Sport

Cricket

West Hallam has two established cricket clubs: * West Hallam White Rose Cricket Club was founded in 1880. The club ground is based on The Statham Oval, Cat and Fiddle lane, and they have two senior teams in the

Derbyshire County Cricket League The Premier Division of the Derbyshire County Cricket League is the top level of competition for recreational club cricket in Derbyshire, England, and is a designated ECB Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Assoc ...

, and a well established Junior section playing competitive cricket in the

Erewash Young Cricketers League The Erewash Young Cricketers League (EYCL) is a part of Cricket Erewash, which was formed in 2004 as a result of an amalgamation of the EYCL, The Erewash Cricket Development Group and The Long Eaton & District Cricket Association; with an aim ...

. * Nutbrook Cricket Club, was founded in 1937. Their ground is situated on the border between West Hallam and Ilkeston, on the Arthur Fisher Memorial Ground, High Lane East. They have three senior teams in the

, and a Junior section playing competitive cricket in the

Football

* West Hallam Junior Football Club (established 1886 as a senior club) is a football club based at the Powtrell Community Pavilion on Beech Lane Recreation Ground. They operate teams across the various age groups ranging from Development to Under 18s. The junior section of the West Hallam football club came into existence in 1980, but West Hallam no longer has a senior team.

Notable residents

Thomas Rossell Potter Thomas Rossell Potter (7 January 1799 – 19 April 1873) was a British antiquary. He started a school in Leicestershire, but he is known for his publications about the history and geology of Leicestershire. He was the editor of a number of ...

(1799–1873), writer, was born here.Thomas Rossell Potter in

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

now in the public domain * Sir

Francis Newdegate Sir Francis Alexander Newdigate Newdegate, (31 December 1862 – 2 January 1936) was an English Conservative Party politician. After over twenty years in the House of Commons, he served as Governor of Tasmania from 1917 to 1920, and Governor o ...

GCMG KStJ (1862–1936), final Lord of the Manor until 1914. Was Governor of

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

(1917–1920) and of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

(1920–1924).

References

External links

West Hallam Parish Council

Erewash Borough Council
{{Commons category, West Hallam Villages in Derbyshire Civil parishes in Derbyshire Borough of Erewash