Bilston Town Hall was opened in 1873 and extended in 1880 with such care that you can`t see the join! As well as providing a splendid ballroom and library, it housed the Council Chamber and offices of Bilston Urban District Council. Bilston proudly achieved Borough status in 1933, but in 1966 was subsumed into an enlarged Wolverhampton authority and the fortunes of the Town Hall started to decline. The building fell into disuse in 1996 and Wolverhampton tried, unsuccessfully, to sell it off.
A change of heart in the new millennium saw a desire to bring it back to life, and with grants from the Heritage Lottery and the European Regional Development Fund a comprehensive refurbishment was carried out between 2005 and 2008. Keith was working for Wolverhampton Council at the time and was engaged as Project Manager for the refurb contracts. In this presentation he tells the inside story of the restoration work and the Town Hall`s rebirth as the focal point of Bilston`s community identity.
