New Date Stone celebrates Earlestown Town Hall: restored, renewed, and reimagined

Article date: 16 March 2026

The stone was unveiled on 13 March 2026 by Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron MBE, the Mayor of St Helens Borough Council. The ceremony was also attended by David Baines MP (St Helens North),  Councillor Kate Groucutt, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Business & Inclusive Growth,  and representatives from ECF, the council's regeneration partner, along with the main contractor HH Smith & Sons.

Date stones signify when a building was constructed, refurbished or altered and act as an important historical record for future generations. Made from natural sandstone, it has been positioned on the wall of the new single-storey café extension and will be visible from the newly created courtyard garden area once it opens to residents and visitors.

Upon completion of the Earlestown Town Hall project, the building will offer a mixed-use performance and events space in the fully restored main hall, flexible co-working facilities and meeting rooms for local businesses, and a new courtyard garden with café as well as public toilets and a Changing Places facility.

Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron said: "Historic civic buildings are key parts of our local identity in all of the towns and villages across the borough - and this applies to Earlestown Town Hall too. As a Newtonian, it holds a particular meaning for me. We used to visit with my mum as kids when it was the Council area offices, and also attend NADOS productions and under-16 discos. The building forms the formidable civic back drop for our Remembrance Sunday service that I've attended since being a kid. This renovation marks the next step in the building's history, becoming a community hub for the wider area making council services local and accessible once again. It's an exciting step in the regeneration of the wider Earlestown town centre; and is the boost that Earlestown needs to survive in modern times. It's such an honour to be part of that over the years, and for this to fall in my year as Mayor means a lot to me."

Councillor Kate Groucutt said: "The project is at a really exciting stage where you can now get a real sense of what the Town Hall will look and feel like when it's finished. It is therefore appropriate that the new date stone commemorates the significant investment being made to bring this iconic building back into a sustainable and thriving community asset, with future generations able to look back on this significant milestone."

Matt Whiteley, Senior Development Manager at ECF, said: "Earlestown Town Hall is a very special and historically significant building, and it's wonderful to see it being given new life and purpose. The team is making excellent progress in preserving its historic architecture and creating a vibrant community space for future generations to enjoy."

Mike Smith, Project Manager at HH Smith & Sons, said: "Being involved in the restoration of Earlestown Town Hall is a real privilege. Supporting St Helens Borough Council in bringing the character and history of this much-loved building back to life is hugely rewarding, and we're excited to see it once again become a vibrant space for the local community."

Earlestown Town Hall is a Grade II listed building with a rich and colourful history. Designed by local architect Thomas Beesley following a competition, it was constructed between 1892 and 1893 by Messrs R Neill & Sons of Manchester at a cost of £10,200.

The clock and bells in its distinctive five-stage tower were produced by Messrs Potts & Sons - and the clock, currently undergoing repair, will chime again once the restoration project is complete.

Built in an eclectic Queen Anne style with Flemish influences, the two-storey red brick building features slate roofs, an attic and a basement. It is thought the cost of the hall may have been gifted to the community by William John Legh, the local lord of the manor, to mark his elevation to the peerage as Lord Newton in 1892 - though the designs had already been commissioned the previous year.

David Baines MP, commented: "Earlestown Town Hall is one of the great landmarks of our area - a building that holds generations of memories for local families and stands at the heart of our community's story. Seeing it restored, renewed and reimagined for the future is something we can all be proud of.

"While this investment is about preserving a historic community building, it's also about creating new and exciting facilities that will bring more people into Earlestown and support our local economy.

"The new date stone marks more than progress on a construction project. It symbolises confidence in Earlestown's future and our commitment to ensuring that cherished civic buildings like this continue to serve local people for generations to come."

Works on the wider Earlestown regeneration programme include substantial improvements to the adjacent Market Square into a high-quality, flexible public space designed to serve the town for generations to come. A new permanent canopy, inspired by the nine arches of the Sankey Viaduct, will provide sheltered trading space and create a distinctive venue capable of hosting a wide range of public events throughout the year. The contractor Eric Wright Construction is leading on this aspect of the transformational scheme.

The overall plans are backed by £20m from the Government's Levelling Up Fund and £8m match funding from St Helens Borough Council - which is being delivered in partnership with ECF, a partnership between Homes England, L&G and Muse.

The project also includes £1.113m in funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme to replace the building's heating and lighting systems with more sustainable and cost-effective solutions.