Unlike most town halls, it is a public venue and not the seat of the borough council, which is housed in the nearby Municipal Offices.

[1] The building was designed by the Gloucester architect Frederick William Waller in the Classical style and built by the Cheltenham firm of Collins and Godfrey.

[3] It was formally opened by Sir Michael Hicks Beach MP, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer whose family had long-standing connections with Cheltenham, on 5 December 1903.

[3] The design for the main frontage involved a large projecting arcaded Porte-cochère (i.e. gateway for horse-drawn coaches) at ground floor level.

[3] The town hall organ was also a gift, from Mr and Mrs Edward J. Burrow; it was made by Rushworth and Dreaper of Liverpool and was installed in 1928.