[1] Following significant population growth, largely associated with its status as a market town, Dalton-in-Furness established a local board in 1872.

[3] The building was designed by John Young McIntosh in the Renaissance style, built in rubble masonry and was completed in 1884.

Above and behind the left-hand gable there was a small clocktower, with a clock designed and manufactured by Potts of Leeds and an ogee-shaped dome.

Internally, the complex contained offices for the board, a boardroom, a cottage, and stables for the fire engines and ambulance.

[1] Parts of the town hall were subsequently used to accommodate the housing and rates sections of the borough council, while the boardroom was used for community events, such as exercise and dance classes.