[6] In the early 1860s, burgh officials decided to demolish the 18th century town hall and to erect a structure more in keeping with the importance of Wigtown as the administrative centre of the county of Wigtownshire.

[7] The new building was designed by Thomas Brown II in the Gothic Revival style, built in red sandstone and was completed in 1863.

[3] On the north elevation of the building, there was a three-stage projecting tower with louvres and a clock in the third stage and a pyramid-style roof above.

[14] The works built on an initiative started in 1999 to make Wigtown the "national book town" for Scotland and involved the creation of a library named after the local author, John McNeillie, and the creation of a small local history museum: items put on display in the museum included a set of early 18th century imperial measures, typically held by local authorities to ensure tradesmen comply with the Weights and Measures Act 1824.

[7] In September 2018, a memorial stone was laid outside the town hall to commemorate the life of Sergeant Louis McGuffie who had been posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions at the Fifth Battle of Ypres during the First World War.