[6] The mansion which was to become the town hall was St Nicholas House, which was commissioned by John Woodall – part of a prominent and successful Scarborough family – to replace his previous home, 22 Long Room Street.

The date and architect of the construction appears to be contested; research by Scarborough Civic Society suggests it was by Henry Wyatt in 1844,[6] while the listing description from Historic England ascribes it to W B Stewart, 1869–70.

[10] A proposed plan to sell the Victorian building and move to a new out-of-town purpose-built site was considered by the Conservative-run Scarborough Borough Council in March to July 2012.

[13] Five of Scarborough Town Hall's historic rooms are licensed for weddings and other civil ceremonies, giving the Council a stream of income to help conserve and maintain it.

[14] The Town Hall takes the form of a Jacobean-style mansion with two-storeys plus attic, of red brick with stone dressings, string courses, cornice and parapet, whose main south front is set on a strapwork balustraded terrace to public gardens.

Along this main front are Dutch gabled bays to the left and centre, and to the right, a pair of square turrets with leaded ogee domes, between which is a large stained-glass oriel window.