[4][a] The current building, which was designed by Reginald Churchill in a Victorian Gothic style, was commissioned by Michael Thomas Bass for use as the St Paul's Institute and the Liberal Club and completed in 1878.

[8] A further large extension, designed by George Moncur, the borough surveyor, in the Art Deco style was built to the southeast of the main building and completed in 1939.

[4] During the First World War, the town hall was used as a Red Cross Voluntary Aid Detachment auxiliary hospital.

[9][10] In the entrance lobby are four large wooden plaques, listing the names of the men of the County Borough of Burton who gave their lives in each world war.

The borough's coat of arms is carved into the stonework above the main entrance of the extension, which was formally opened by the mayor on 6 October 1939.