The structure, which is the meeting place of Helston Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

[3] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto Coinagehall Street; on the ground floor, there were three doorways, each flanked by pilasters and brackets supporting solid triangular pediments.

[3] On the first floor, there were sash windows with cornices flanked by Doric order columns, or in the case of the outer bays, Doric order pilasters, supporting an entablature, which was inscribed with the date of construction, and a pediment with a clock supported by winged figures in the tympanum;[3] the clock was by Wasbrough, Hale & Co. of Bristol.

[9] In May 1907, the Lord Mayor of London, Sir William Treloar, whose ancestors came from the local area, received the Freedom of Helston at the guildhall,[10] and also had the honour of leading the annual Furry Dance.

[13] Works of art in the guildhall include a painting by John Bryant Lane entitled "Christ Derided",[14] and a portrait by Maurice Whinney of RAF officer, Wing Commander Guy Gibson, who was brought up in the local area.