The building was commissioned by the Millom Local Board and Urban Sanitary Authority, with a budget of £3,500, to accommodate a boardroom and a market hall, in 1878.

[2] The building was designed in the Tudor Revival style, built in limestone with sandstone dressings and was completed in 1879.

[4] The local board was succeeded by Millom Urban District Council, which continued to use the building as its meeting place, in 1894.

[5][6] By the 1940s, the ground floor was "a busy covered market with around 20 stalls selling sweets, ice cream, eggs, meat and vegetables.

The building subsequently accommodated a nightclub named the "Clock Tower" until 2016, when it was put up for auction with a starting price of £95,000.