A
local board of health was established in the rapidly developing town of St Anne's-on-the-Sea in 1878. Following significant population growth, largely associated with seaside tourism, the town became an
urban district in 1894. In this context civic leaders decided to procure new public offices: the site they chose formed part of the garden of an adjacent residential property. The new building was designed by Thomas Muirhead in the
Victorian style, built in red brick with
ashlar stone dressings and was officially opened by Councillor Louis Stott on 22 January 1902. The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with five bays facing onto Clifton Drive; the central section of three bays, which slightly projected forward, featured a doorway with a wide arched stone surround flanked by
brackets supporting a flat
canopy. The old public offices were then relegated to the role of annex to the new
Lytham St Annes Town Hall, which itself became the local seat of government for the enlarged
Fylde District Council in 1974. In December 2011, Fylde District Council decided that the old public offices were surplus to requirements and proceeded to market the building for sale. In March 2012, St Annes-on-the-Sea Town Council submitted a proposal, which ultimately did not proceed, to acquire the building and convert it into a heritage centre. A blue plaque, recording the history of the old public offices, was paid for by St Annes-on-the-Sea Town Council and unveiled by Stott's grandson, Richard Stanley, on the front of the building in January 2016. ==See also==