In the early 1860s, parish leaders decided to establish a town hall in the village, primarily to accommodate the weekly market.

[2][3] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto Hood Street with a gable above.

Internally, the principal room was the assembly hall which was intended to accommodate concerts and theatre performances.

It read: "Erected by the Weardale Leadminers in commemoration of their struggle for existence in their native dale in the years 1881–1883 and for parochial and political freedom, and especially to record their feelings of deepest gratitude, their recognition of the efforts made on their behalf to revive, foster and preserve the chief industry – lead mining – from becoming a thing of the past by their fearless and notable friend, Walter Beaumont, Esq., who through the guidance of Divine Providence, was instrumental in bringing it to a successful issue.

"[5]A war memorial, in the form of a statue of a soldier with a down-turned rifle standing on a pedestal, which was intended to commemorate the lives of local service personnel who had died in the First World War, was designed by Beattie & Company of Carlisle and unveiled in front of the town hall by Colonel John Clay on 15 April 1922.