[1] The first guildhall in the town, which was described as "a plain stone-fronted edifice, with a high clock turret",[2] was located on the north side of Bailey Head and dated back at least to the early 16th century.

[3] It was in this building that the Bishop of St Asaph, William Lloyd, interviewed the non-conformist minister, Philip Henry, in September 1681.

[9] The land on which the buildings at Bailey Head stood was presented to the town by the lord of the manor, the 2nd Earl of Powis, shortly before he died in 1848.

[9] A third guildhall was designed by Henry Cheers in the Renaissance style, built in ashlar stone by W. H. Thomas of Oswestry at a cost of £11,000 and was officially opened by the 4th Earl of Powis in November 1893.

[14] After a major programme of restoration works, which was financed in part by the Heritage Lottery Fund and involved the eradication of extensive dry rot, the guildhall was re-opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire, Algernon Heber-Percy, in April 2000.