J & E Hall
British engineering company known for industrial refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
J & E Hall is a British engineering company based in Dartford, Kent, whose modern identity is centered on industrial refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment. Its origins reach back to 1785, when millwright and smith John Hall established a machinery-repair business in Dartford. The early enterprise serviced equipment used in corn, paper, oil and powder mills before expanding into iron founding, mechanical engineering and the manufacture of machinery. The company became associated with several important nineteenth-century engineering activities. Its connections with engineer Bryan Donkin and the Fourdrinier paper-making interests helped it enter the production of paper-making machinery. Donkin, Hall and Gamble also worked on the development of early tinned-food production after acquiring Peter Durand’s canning patent. The firm later manufactured steam engines, gun carriages and other heavy engineering products. Richard Trevithick, a major figure in the history of steam power, worked at the Dartford establishment during the final period of his career and died in the town in 1833. Refrigeration became J & E Hall’s defining business during the late nineteenth century. In 1881 the company developed horizontal dry-air refrigeration machinery suitable for marine use. Its equipment was subsequently used to freeze and preserve meat transported by sea, including a major 1886 shipment of mutton from the Falkland Islands to the United Kingdom. In 1889 the company supplied a two-stage carbon-dioxide compressor for a frozen-meat store at Smithfield Market in London. It later broadened its refrigeration range to include ammonia, methyl chloride, carbon dioxide and, subsequently, fluorocarbon systems. By the early twentieth century, J & E Hall had become a major supplier of marine cargo refrigeration and also served hospitals, hotels, breweries, shops, skating facilities and food-processing operations. J & E Hall diversified substantially in the twentieth century. Between 1906 and 1926 it produced commercial-vehicle components and complete petrol-powered vehicles under the Hallford name. Hallford trucks were used by brewers, haulage companies and the British Army, including during the First World War. From the 1920s the company also manufactured passenger and goods lifts after taking over the Medway Safety Lift Company. It supplied lifts for buildings and naval vessels, and during the 1930s produced escalators under licence from a German manufacturer. Installations included prominent department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges. The lift and escalator operation continued until 1968, when it was sold to Otis. The company experienced structural and financial difficulties after its 1959 merger with Thermotank and Vent-Axia, which created Hall-Thermotank. The combination led to falling profits, disposals and the closure of the foundry. A strategic reorganization during the 1960s and 1970s returned the business toward concentrated refrigeration units, compressors and air conditioning. Hall-Thermotank was acquired by APV in 1976 and became APV Hall. The Hallscrew single refrigeration compressor received a Queen’s Award for Industry in 1984. APV Hall was acquired by McQuay International in 1994, and the J & E Hall name was restored. McQuay’s parent, the Malaysian OYL group, became part of Japan’s Daikin Industries in 2006. J & E Hall no longer operates its former factory on Hythe Street in Dartford, where the site has been redeveloped. The company retains a Dartford head office and research and development activity. Within the Daikin Group, the brand represents a long-established British engineering heritage in refrigeration, compressors and related cooling technologies.
History
J & E Hall began in 1785 when John Hall established a smithing and millwright business in Dartford. Hall had moved from Alton to Dartford in the preceding decade and initially repaired and maintained machinery serving local corn, paper, oil and powder mills. The business moved to larger Waterside premises around 1800, on a site associated with Dartford Priory, allowing it to develop from a repair workshop into a broader ironworks and engineering concern. Among the early people associated with the firm was Bryan Donkin, who had been one of its apprentices. Donkin’s connections with the paper industry helped the company enter paper-making machinery, including work undertaken with the Fourdrinier brothers and John Gamble. Donkin, Hall and Gamble also collaborated on the use of tinned iron containers for preserved food. After acquiring Peter Durand’s canning patent in 1812, they established an early cannery in Bermondsey and supplied preserved meat to the British Admiralty. This activity later became associated with Crosse & Blackwell, while J & E Hall continued its development as a general engineering company. The Dartford works produced steam engines, gun carriages and other iron-foundry products during the nineteenth century. The company is also linked to Richard Trevithick, who came to the works in 1832 to work on a steam engine. Trevithick became ill and died in Dartford in April 1833. Employees of Hall’s works helped meet his funeral expenses and served as bearers, contributing to the company’s enduring place in local industrial history. The decisive technological change came with refrigeration. In 1881 J & E Hall developed horizontal dry-air refrigeration machinery suitable for ships. Its machines were used in 1886 to freeze a large consignment of mutton sent from the Falkland Islands to Britain. In 1889 the company installed a two-stage carbon-dioxide compressor at a frozen-meat store in Smithfield Market. It expanded into ammonia refrigeration around 1910 and developed expertise across several refrigerant types. By the early 1920s, the company claimed a leading position in marine cargo refrigeration, while its land-based equipment served hospitals, hotels, breweries, retail premises, skating facilities, food storage operations and fishing-related infrastructure. In 1931 it supplied compressors to the Grimsby Ice Factory. J & E Hall also diversified into transport and vertical-transport equipment. From 1906 to 1926 it produced commercial vehicles branded Hallford, first making heavy-vehicle chassis and later engines and complete vehicles. The vehicles were used by commercial fleet operators and by the British Army during the First World War. In the 1920s the company entered the lift business through the acquisition of the Medway Safety Lift Company. It installed lifts in buildings and Royal Navy ships, and later manufactured escalators under licence. These products appeared in major retail buildings, including Harrods and Selfridges. The lift and escalator division was sold to Otis in 1968. A 1959 merger with Thermotank and Vent-Axia created Hall-Thermotank but produced weak results. Subsidiaries were sold, the foundry closed and the company undertook a major reorganization. From the late 1960s the business concentrated more heavily on refrigeration units, small automatic compressors and air conditioning, including systems using methyl chloride. The reorganization improved the company’s financial position during the 1970s. APV acquired Hall-Thermotank in 1976 and operated it as APV Hall. The development of the Hallscrew single refrigeration compressor earned a Queen’s Award for Industry in 1984. In 1994 APV Hall was acquired by McQuay International, part of the Malaysian OYL group, and the J & E Hall name returned to use. Daikin Industries acquired OYL in 2006, placing J & E Hall within the Daikin Group. The former factory site on Hythe Street in Dartford has been redeveloped, but the company retains a Dartford head office and some research and development facilities. Its contemporary identity is therefore that of a specialist refrigeration and air-conditioning business carrying forward a long British engineering tradition.
- 2006
J & E Hall joins the Daikin Group
[1]Daikin Industries acquired OYL, the parent group of McQuay International and J & E Hall.
- 1994
McQuay International acquisition
[1]McQuay International acquired APV Hall and reinstated the J & E Hall name.
- 1984
Queen’s Award for the Hallscrew compressor
[1]The Hallscrew single refrigeration compressor received a Queen’s Award for Industry.
- 1976
Acquisition by APV
[1]Hall-Thermotank was acquired by APV and renamed APV Hall.
- 1968
Lift and escalator division sold to Otis
[1]The company exited lifts and escalators and concentrated more strongly on refrigeration and air conditioning.
- 1959
Hall-Thermotank merger
[1]J & E Hall merged with Thermotank and Vent-Axia, forming Hall-Thermotank.
- 1930
Escalator production begins under licence
[1]The company began producing escalators under licence from a German manufacturer.
- 1920
Expansion into lifts
[1]J & E Hall entered lift manufacturing through the acquisition of the Medway Safety Lift Company.
- 1906
Hallford vehicle production begins
[1]The company entered commercial vehicles, initially producing heavy-vehicle chassis and later complete petrol-powered trucks.
- 1889
Two-stage carbon-dioxide compressor installed at Smithfield
[1]The company supplied equipment for frozen-meat storage at Smithfield Market in London.
Products and positioning
An established British industrial-engineering brand specializing in refrigeration, compressors and cooling systems, with a heritage spanning marine transport, food preservation and heavy machinery.
Refrigeration equipment · 1881
Marine refrigeration machinery
J & E Hall’s marine refrigeration machinery was developed for the preservation and transport of perishable cargo by sea. The company’s horizontal dry-air systems, introduced in the 1880s, supported early refrigerated shipping and helped establish its international engineering reputation. By the early twentieth century, the company was regarded as a major supplier of marine cargo refrigeration equipment.
Refrigeration equipment · 1889
Industrial refrigeration compressors
The company developed and supplied compressors for cold stores, food-processing facilities, ice factories, commercial premises and other industrial applications. Its historical range included carbon-dioxide, ammonia, methyl-chloride and fluorocarbon refrigeration technologies. Compressor engineering became the foundation of J & E Hall’s modern specialist position.
Refrigeration compressor · 1984
Hallscrew single refrigeration compressor
The Hallscrew was a single refrigeration compressor developed as part of the company’s post-reorganization focus on compact and specialized refrigeration technology. Its industrial significance was recognized with a Queen’s Award for Industry in 1984.
Air conditioning · 1968
Air-conditioning equipment
From the late 1960s, J & E Hall concentrated increasingly on refrigeration units and air-conditioning products. This repositioning narrowed the company’s scope from its earlier diversified engineering activities and aligned it with the cooling-equipment businesses that later formed part of the Daikin Group.
Commercial vehicles · 1906
Hallford commercial vehicles
Hallford was the company’s historical commercial-vehicle marque, produced from 1906 to 1926. J & E Hall first manufactured heavy-vehicle chassis and later engines and complete petrol-powered vehicles. Hallfords were used by brewers, haulage operators and the British Army, including during the First World War.
Vertical transportation equipment · 1920
Lifts and escalators
J & E Hall manufactured passenger and goods lifts after entering the sector in the 1920s and produced escalators under licence during the 1930s. Its installations included commercial buildings and Royal Navy ships, with notable retail installations at Harrods and Selfridges. The division was sold to Otis in 1968.
Brand decisions
2006
Integration into the Daikin GroupM&ABackground
J & E Hall’s immediate parent structure changed when Daikin Industries acquired the OYL group.
Action taken
Daikin Industries brought OYL’s businesses, including McQuay International and J & E Hall, into the Daikin Group.
Aftermath
J & E Hall continued its Dartford-based engineering and research activities as part of Daikin’s international cooling and air-conditioning portfolio.
1994
Acquisition by McQuay InternationalM&ABackground
APV reorganized and divested parts of its portfolio, including the refrigeration business.
Action taken
McQuay International acquired APV Hall and restored the J & E Hall brand name.
Aftermath
J & E Hall continued as a specialist refrigeration business within the OYL group before later entering the Daikin organization.
1976
Acquisition by APVM&ABackground
The reorganized refrigeration and engineering business became part of a larger industrial group.
Action taken
APV acquired Hall-Thermotank and operated the business under the APV Hall name.
Aftermath
The business continued developing refrigeration technology, including the Hallscrew compressor.
1968
Refocus on refrigeration and air conditioningStrategyBackground
Following difficulties associated with Hall-Thermotank, the company needed to simplify its operations and concentrate on areas where it had established technical expertise.
Action taken
J & E Hall prioritized concentrated refrigeration units, automatic compressors and air-conditioning products, while its lift and escalator business was sold to Otis.
Aftermath
The reorganization during the 1970s improved the company’s financial position and reinforced refrigeration as its central business.
1959
Merge with Thermotank and Vent-AxiaM&ABackground
J & E Hall sought to combine its activities with Thermotank and Vent-Axia in a broader engineering group.
Action taken
The businesses were merged to form Hall-Thermotank.
Aftermath
The merger performed poorly, with declining profits, disposals of subsidiaries and eventual closure of the foundry.
Recent events
- 2006
OYL Group becomes part of Daikin Industries[1]
M&A
Daikin Industries acquired the Malaysian OYL group, bringing McQuay International and J & E Hall into the Daikin corporate group.
- 1994
McQuay International acquires APV Hall and restores the J & E Hall name[1]
M&A · Other
APV Hall became part of McQuay International, after which the historic J & E Hall brand name was reinstated.
- 1984
Hallscrew compressor receives Queen’s Award for Industry[1]
Product launch · Other
J & E Hall received a Queen’s Award for Industry for the development of its Hallscrew single refrigeration compressor.
- 1976
APV acquires Hall-Thermotank[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Hall-Thermotank was acquired by the APV group and renamed APV Hall as part of a restructuring of the engineering business.
- 1906
Hallford commercial vehicles enter production[1]
Product launch
J & E Hall began producing commercial-vehicle chassis and later complete petrol-powered vehicles under the Hallford name.
- 1889
J & E Hall supplies carbon-dioxide compressor to Smithfield Market[1]
Product launch · Other
The company installed a two-stage carbon-dioxide compressor for a frozen-meat store at London’s Smithfield Market.
- 1886
J & E Hall equipment supports refrigerated mutton transport[1]
Product launch · Other
J & E Hall cold-air machines were used to freeze approximately 30,000 mutton carcasses shipped from the Falkland Islands to the United Kingdom.
- 1881
J & E Hall develops dry-air refrigeration machinery for marine use[1]
Product launch · Other
The company developed horizontal dry-air refrigeration machinery suitable for installation on ships, establishing the technical direction that later became its core business.
Sources1 sources
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