As Liverpool exploded with shipping and global commerce it grew at an alarming rate. Ship owners who had sat in their mansions along the coast keeping an eye on their profits, found their view obstructed by an ever growing skyline. They looked across the Mersey, at the Wirral, mostly farm land and a couple of little towns like Seacombe and Wallasey. Big houses began to spring up along the Wirral coastline, this brought expansion in business and the towns grew. In 1913 Wallasey was granted County Borough status and the civic leaders announced " We need a Town Hall ", after much debate a site was chosen on Brighton Street. This was the trans-wirral motorway of it's day, linking Ellesmere Port at the top of the river Mersey with New Brighton at it's mouth. Designs were drawn up and accepted, despite questions about which way it faced. What should be the front, with it's grand stairway, leading to a grand entrance, faces the Promenade....but this is the back of the building, it was felt it presented the 'better face' to people arriving by boat. The front, on Brighton street is far less ornate although walking through the doors you are struck by the marble floor and columns leading to a VERY grand staircase. By chance King George V was due to visit Liverpool and the Wirral and it was arranged for him to lay the foundation stone. With crowds of up to 20,000 expected for the event there were deep concerns for public safety not to mention the disruption on such a vital transport route as Brighton street. The solution was simple, the King would lay the foundation stone from Central Park.... a mile away. This proved fortuitous as the crowd on the day was recorded at over 40,000. At the allotted time, the King pulled a lever, sending an electric current to the crane on site and the great stone was lowered into place, a mile down the road. Job done, the King set off for Liverpool. The Town Hall was completed in 1916, but civic matters seemed less important as war raged in France...the Town Hall was therefore loaned to The War Department and turned into a 300 bed hospital. Over 3,500 wounded troops would be brought from France and landed at either Seacombe or Egremont Ferry, both only a quarter of a mile either side of the site. At wars end the Town Hall adopted it's intended purpose and continues to this day.