West Hallam
| West Hallam | |
|---|---|
 The Village Hall, West Hallam. |
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 West Hallam
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| West Hallam shown within Derbyshire | |
| Population | 4,829 (2001 census) |
| OS grid reference | SK430415 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ILKESTON |
| Postcode district | DE7 |
| Dialling code | 0115 |
| Police | Derbyshire |
| Fire | Derbyshire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | |
West Hallam is a large village and civil parish close to Ilkeston in the County of Derbyshire in the East Midlands 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.
Although it is not known exactly when the village was founded, it existed at the time of the Domesday Book in 1086. St Wilfrid's Church is over 700 years old. In the sixteenth and seventeenth 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 coalfield. There was also a West Hallam railway station, connected to the Great Northern Railway and Derby Friargate Station.
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 1980s 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.
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 cafe and a Japanese style tea garden and gift shop.
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Wikipedia