The structure, which accommodates the offices and meeting place of Sandwich Town Council, is a Grade II* listed building.

[1][3][4] The design of the original building (the central and right hand sections of the current structure) involved an asymmetrical main frontage of six bays facing onto the guildhall forecourt.

A stained glass window, depicting Queen Elizabeth I arriving at Sandown Gate in Sandwich in August 1573,[5] was installed in the court room in 1906.

[9] It also served as a local history museum: items accessioned to the collection included original copies of Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest dating from 1300.

[14][15] Works of art in the guildhall include a series of four panels by Willem van de Velde the Younger depicting Catherine of Braganza's visit to Sandwich in May 1672[16][17] and another series of four panels by the same artist depicting the Battle of Solebay in June 1672.