Earlestown Town Hall restoration reaches practical completion

More than 130 years after it was built, Newton-le-Willows’ Grade II listed Earlestown Town Hall has been restored, bringing to practical completion a project that forms one of the centrepieces of the long-term regeneration programme we are delivering with St Helens Borough Council.

The work amounted to one of the most complex restoration projects in the North West of England. Strict heritage protection rules meant the team had to bring in trades and techniques rarely seen on modern town centre sites. Chemically matched lime plaster and handmade roof louvres sat alongside digital surveying that mapped the building in millions of data points.

The five-stage clock tower has also been brought back to life. Its clock and bells were first made by Messrs Potts & Sons, and their chimes have been part of daily life in the town for generations. Horologists from The Cumbria Clock Company, who restored the bells and clockwork of Big Ben, have reinstalled the fully overhauled mechanism with a series of upgrades.

Before the new heating system went into one of the upper floors, the team carried out a high-precision 3D laser scan of the interior. It captured millions of data points and produced a detailed digital model of the historic structure, which showed the system would fit the space exactly without disturbing the original architecture.

ECF, our partnership with Homes England’s National Housing Bank and L&G, was backed by £20 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and £8 million in match funding from St Helens Borough Council. A further £1.1 million from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme helped replace the building’s heating and lighting with sustainable, cost-effective systems.

Matt Whiteley, Senior Development Manager at ECF, said:

Cllr Jack Benyon, St Helens Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Property and Planning said:

“Reaching practical completion on this heritage restoration contract is a big moment for Earlestown. The Town Hall has stood at the heart of the town since the 1890s and people here care about it deeply. Seeing it restored with this much skill and care shows what our regeneration programme is doing for the town centre, and it gives Earlestown an active landmark to be proud of again.”

Mike Smith, Project Manager at HH Smith & Sons, the main contractor which delivered the work, said:

“Reaching practical completion on Earlestown Town Hall is a proud moment for the whole team. This project required specialist skills from start to finish. For instance, we matched the Victorian lime plaster to its original chemical profile, made the roof louvres by hand, and used 3D laser scanning to plan around the historic structure. Our apprentices have picked up skills on this project that very few tradespeople ever get to learn, and they will carry those with them for the rest of their careers.”

Andy Balmer, Associate, Buttress Architects said:

“Earlestown Town Hall is a much-loved landmark with deep connections to the local community, so getting the restoration right was incredibly important. Our focus has been on preserving the character and significance of the building while carefully adapting it for modern use. Discovering and restoring hidden features, such as the central staircase, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the project. The completed works not only safeguard the Town Hall’s heritage but also ensure it can continue to serve the community for generations to come. We are proud to have played a role in bringing this remarkable historic building back to life.”

An initial community consultation on the potential relocation of Newton Library to the restored Town Hall has taken place, with the responses currently being evaluated, but the repurposed building will feature a mixed-use performance and events space, plus a new café with courtyard garden alongside public toilets and a changing places facility.