The building was designed in the neoclassical style, built in red brick and was completed in around 1730.[2] The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage of three bays facing onto the High Street. The ground floor was arcaded so that markets could be held: the first bay on the left was infilled with rubble masonry to create a lock-up for the incarceration of petty criminals, while the other two bays contained round headed openings with voussoirs and iron gates.[1] The first floor, which was used as an assembly room, was originally timber framed with diagonal tension braces to support the structure.[1]
In 1819, a new chest was acquired to store the important civic documents which included royal charter signed by Edward VI.[3] By the 1840s, the assembly room was being used as a school room,[4] but, by the early 1860s, the building had become very dilapidated and was disused.[5][6][7] The building was remodelled in 1876, with the timber framing on the first floor being replaced by a red brick structure and a prominent four-part, slightly projecting, Tudor Revival style window being installed at the south end. The main frontage was fenestrated by two bi-partite casement windows.[1]
The borough council, which had met in the town hall,[8] was abolished under the Municipal Corporations Act 1883.[9] The assets of the borough council, including the old town hall, were transferred to the newly created Brading Town Trust in 1898.[10] The building was subsequently converted for use as a free library.[3]
A new town hall at the south end of the High Street was opened in February 1903.[11][12] Meanwhile, the old town hall continued to be used to store the town stocks and whipping post as well as a collection of artefacts and records, together with the original weights and measures. Following the completion of an extensive programme of refurbishment works, the old town hall was re-opened on 8 April 2022.[13]
