The current building was commissioned to replace an earlier "moot hall" on the site which dated back to 1345. The new building, with commercial facilities on the ground floor and assembly rooms on the first floor, was completed in 1669. and to the west with an extra three-storey section in the 19th century. In 1853 the first
pillar box in the United Kingdom was installed nearby and a replica "Penfold" pillar box, in the style of the original post boxes designed by William Penfold with
acanthus leaves, balls and the Royal coat of arms, was subsequently erected outside the town hall to commemorate this. The original clock in the tower of the town hall, which had been made by John Sanderson of Wigton, was replaced with a modern mechanism, made by
Potts of Leeds, in 1900. The assembly rooms were used for the
courts of assize until 1881 and
magistrates' courts were held there until 1941. The building remained the headquarters of the
County Borough of Carlisle until the council moved to
Carlisle Civic Centre in Rickergate in March 1964. After the building became vacant, a
tourist information centre was established on the first floor. A major restoration of the building, involving
asbestos removal, repairs to the roof and improved disabled access, was carried out at a cost of £0.5 million in 2013. Further improvements, involving restoration of the original wood panelling and fireplaces, was carried out in the assembly rooms in 2017; the assembly rooms hosted the first wedding in the building's history later that year. ==References==