In January 1854, the land on which the building stands was bought by Thomas Johnson from Francis Selkeld for £4,280 (). Thomas was the younger brother in the partnership of
John & Thomas Johnson, soap and
alkali manufacturers in Runcorn. In 1853–56, a mansion was built for Thomas on the land to a design by
Charles Verelst (formerly Reed), The name of the mansion was Halton Grange and its gardens were planned by
Edward Kemp. In the 1860s, the Johnson brothers became involved in the
American Civil War by trying to break a naval
blockade at
Charleston but all their ships were sunk, resulting in a considerable loss of money. They eventually became
bankrupt in 1871. In that year, Halton Grange and its surrounding farm were sold to Charles Hazlehurst for £10,428 (). Charles died in 1878, leaving Halton Grange to his son, Charles Whiteway Hazlehurst, with a life interest to his wife, Julia, who died in 1903. In 1904, the house was leased to Francis Boston, the owner of a
tannery in Runcorn, who bought it in 1909 for £5,000 (). Francis Boston died in 1929, and the house and grounds were put up for auction. In 1931, Frederick Clare and Latham Ryder, local builders, bought part of the grounds for £1,975 (). In 1932,
Runcorn Urban District Council bought the house and the remainder of the grounds, a total of , for £2,250 (). The following year, the building was converted into the offices of the Runcorn Urban District Council which relocated from Waterloo House in Waterloo Road. In 1964–65, an office block was built adjacent to the house and the house was adapted to become the civic suite. Following local government re-organisation in 1974, the building became the meeting place for
Halton Borough Council. In April 2015, the
Duke of Gloucester visited the town hall as part of celebrations for the 1,100th anniversary of the town. ==Description==