Shortly after it had been created in 1873, the
local board of health established itself in a small office in Mill Street. The area became an
urban district in 1894 and population growth associated with the increasing number of
coal mines and
cotton mills in the area continued into the 1920s. the site they selected had been occupied by the Bridge End Cotton Mill, an ugly building known locally as the "Wonder Mill". Instead, it became the home of Padiham Town Council when it was formed in 2002. The building was badly damaged by flooding in the
Boxing Day Flood in December 2015 and a programme of repair works to the theatre (by then known as the ballroom) was completed in January 2018. A further programme of refurbishment works, for the rest of the building, costing £331,000 commenced in December 2020. ==See also==