[1] The senior partner of the firm operating Meltham Mills, Jonas Brook and Bros., was Edward Brook, who offered to commission a town hall at his own expense:[2] the site he selected was a small piece of land facing the Carlile Institute in Carlile Road.

[3] The building was designed by the town clerk, William Carter, in the Gothic Revival style, built by John Moorhouse and Sons in limestone with ashlar finishings at a cost of £2,882 and was officially opened by the benefactor's son, Charles Brook, on 5 February 1898.

[3][4] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto Carlile Street.

[3] A portrait of Edward Brook by Henry Mawdsley was hung in the council chamber and unveiled in March 1913.

[8] The building instead became the local library and also the offices of Meltham Town Council until services and staff moved across the road to the Carlile Institute in 2016.