From a pub loft to a publishing legacy: the story behind the launch of HVR Magazine
W
hen Heating & Ventilation Review—now known simply as HVR—hit desks for the first time on 1 November 1960, no one could have predicted that the tabloid-style black- and-white magazine would have such a lasting influence on the UK’s HVAC media landscape. For Amanda Barnes, chief executive of Faversham House and daughter of HVR’s founder Vic Gould, that first issue was not only a milestone, but marked the beginning of her family’s life in publishing. “HVR was our very first magazine,” she recalls. “But it certainly wasn’t the last.”
A business built on entrepreneurial spirit
The story begins, not in a boardroom, but above the Cheshire Cheese pub on Fleet Street, where Vic, a natural entrepreneur with a sharp instinct for opportunities, set up shop. “Most business was actually conducted across the road in the El Vino wine bar,” Amanda laughs.
Vic’s journey into publishing was less than conventional. After joining the RAF at just 16 during the Second World War, he bounced through various sales roles—learning the ropes on B2B advertising. His sales instincts met editorial vision when he partnered with journalist Jack Pearce, who became HVR’s first editor. Together, they spotted a gap in a growing sector: a dedicated, news-focused publication for heating, ventilation and refrigeration professionals. In those days, and for many years to come, the title was popularly referred to as H&V Review.
Breaking new ground
Amanda believes HVR wasn’t just new—it was pioneering. At a time when most magazines relied on paid subscriptions and had little clarity over who actually read them, HVR became one of the UK’s first controlled-circulation trade magazines, she recalls. “You knew exactly who you were sending the magazine to. That was its selling point. It was 100 per cent requested and ABC audited.”
Advertisers loved the transparency. Readers responded so enthusiastically that the team started receiving thousands of “Bingo Cards”—postcards readers would return after circling the ads they wanted more information about.
The format was simple but effective: a newsy tabloid, packed with updates, product announcements and industry insight. Some early issues stretched to 100 stapled pages, occasionally bursting at the seams. By 1961, HVR’s focus on the HEVAC exhibition became a turning point. “That was when it really took off,” Amanda says.
A growing empire — and a new home
As success grew, so did the company. What began above a pub eventually expanded to a portfolio of around 15 magazines.
Later the company moved to Croydon, but this had less to do with strategy and more to do with parking enforcement. “When double yellow lines appeared, my dad couldn’t park outside anymore,” says Amanda. The solution was simple—use family property. “They relocated to my grandmother’s house in Thornton Heath and took over the ground floor.”
Saying goodbye — a pragmatic decision
Decades later, Amanda faced a pivotal moment. After completing a management buyout to take over the business from family members ready to retire, she made the difficult decision to sell HVR and sister titles including ACR News and BMJ to Datateam. “It was a very sad day, but a pragmatic day,” she reflects. “We slimmed down to accelerate. I wanted to focus on sustainability and utilities—and to buy out the private equity investors, we needed to sell.” This began a new chapter for HVR when in 2013 Faversham House’s portfolio of magazines was acquired by the Datateam Media Group. See page 3
HVR founder Vic Gould 2
www.heatingandventilating.net
HVR founder Vic Gould (right) with the magazine’s first editor Jack Pearce
HVR 65th Anniversary Supplement
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