Town Hall Burslem

"The Taj Mahal is very beautiful in the moonlight, but so is Burslem Town Hall if you see it from the right angle." Harold K Hales,

The plan to replace the original 1761 town hall was certainly being discussed by 1846. Burslem people, having seen new public buildings erected in Longton and Stoke, were impatient to have something equally impressive established in their town. However, the foundation stone of the new building was not laid until May 24, 1854 - Queen Victoria's 35th birthday.  Burslem Town Hall was duly inaugurated on 28 January 1857, the occasion being marked by a public dinner at the Leopard Hotel attended by 300 people.

The architect was G T Robinson of Wolverhampton, and he produced a design based on a mixture of classical styles, complete with portico and clock tower, with the features of Greek Revival predominating.