William Silver Hall
William Silver Hall (1844-1906) of Hall, West and Co and Hall and Clarke
1906 Obituary [1]
WILLIAM SILVER HALL was born at Isley Walton, Leicestershire, on 17th June 1844.
His education was received at Repton School and Brighton College.
In 1863 he was apprenticed to Messrs. Sharp, Stewart and Co., of Manchester, and obtained in 1870 a Whitworth Exhibition and Scholarship.
In the following year he was appointed engineer to the Babbington Collieries, Nottingham, which position he held until 1873, when be became a partner in the firm of Hall, West and Co., Abbey Works, Nuneaton.
In 1880 he entered into partnership in the firm of Hall and Clarke, Canal Street Iron Works, Derby.
In 1889 he proceeded to Japan and became a member of the firm of Takata and Co., engineers of Tokyo and London. He was also Professor of Engineering in the Tokyo University.
After leaving his firm in 1894 he devoted a great deal of his time to patent work, in which he bad an extensive practice.
In 1878 he contributed a Paper to this Institution on "Drilling Machines used for Boiler Work," and was a frequent contributor to engineering journals on technical subjects. For a few months in the year 1884 he assisted in the work of this Institution, chiefly in the editing of the Proceedings.
His death took place at Kariwzawa, Japan, on 26th July 1906, at the age of sixty-two.
He became a Member of this Institution in 1871; and was also a Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
1906 Obituary [2]
By the death of Mr. William Silver Hall, M.Inst.C.E., at his house in Tokyo, Japan, on July 26th, another of the men who may claim to have been among the early instructors of the Japanese has passed away.
He was one of those Englishmen who have known how to gain and keep the confidence of the enterprising and astute people of Japan, and was one of the last to be retained in that country as responsible engineering adviser to one of the three leading Japanese merchant firms.
For very many years he held this position with Messrs. Takata and Co., and although he left them some years ago . . . [More]
1907 Obituary [3]
1994 Newspaper Article.[4]
On June 7 1844 William Silver Hall was born at the Manor House, Isley Walton the son of William Hall of Atherstone He was articled to the famous locomotive building firm of Sharp, Stewart and Co, Manchester in 1863. He worked there until June 1866 when he became a draughtsman to another engineering company based in St Helens - James Cross and Co. James Cross had been the engineer to the St Helens Railway until it was taken over by the London & North Western Railway in 1864. Mr Cross then built locomotives at his own works in St Helens. Mr Hall moved on to become assistant manager to the engineering firm of Thornehill and Wareham of Burton on Trent in February 1868. He then took up an appointment with the Worcester Engine Co Ltd in October 1869. In 1870 he became mechanical engineer with the Babington Coal Co In January 1874 he started business in Nuneaton. The premises he occupied are still there in Bottrill Street. They had originally been a ribbon weaving factory owned by Hood and Ward. The purpose of the new business was to manufacture engineering products for Britain’s heavy industries. The product range was enormous. Everything from sparging and hop washing equipment for Messrs Worthington & Co in Burton on Trent and other breweries in that area. Hauling engines for collieries Railway sidings switches and trackwork equipment for railway installations. Screens pit cages shaft fittings etc.
In January 1877 Mr Hall took a partner Charles D. West. Shortly thereafter a new foundry was erected on Tuttle Hill It is tempting to consider the difficulty that must have been created locally one of the larger pieces of Mr Hall’s equipment had to be hauled through the streets of Nuneaton to the railway station. One can imagine teams of horses being required to pull enormous iron contraptions loaded onto carts through Abbey Street up to the station where it would be loaded onto railway wagons In view of Mr Hall’s locomotive building background it is also tempting to consider that he made the odd steam locomotive at his Abbey engineering works. He was more than capable of doing so In June 1880. Mr West was forced to retire from business due to ill health. The company of Hall, West and Co was sold to Messrs Stanley Brothers.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ 1906 Institution of Mechanical Engineers: Obituaries
- ↑ The Engineer 1906/08/10
- ↑ 1907 Institution of Civil Engineers: Obituaries
- ↑ Heartland Evening News - Friday 29 October 1993