Jarrow Town Hall on Ellison Street is one of the countless examples of municipal ambition on Tyneside. This terracotta and red brick town hall commenced construction in 1902 when Jane Palmer laid the foundation stone. Jane was the wife of Sir Charles - coke merchant, shipbuilder, politician and one of the great fathers of Jarrow.

The building was needed as Jarrow grew exponentially in the past half century - first mining, then shipbuilding expanded the boundaries of the town as more workmen and their families settled here. It was established as a municipal borough in 1875. The council's first establishment could be found on thje corner of Grange Road and Wylam Street, referred to the Corporation Chambers.

Altogether, construction cost £12,000, which is actually around £1 million in todays money. It was designed by a local architect Fred Rennoldson, who also designed Wright's biscuit factory at Tyne Dock.

The Town Hall is also known for being the start of the Jarrow March, which was supported by the local council where the community marched to London in protest of their treatment over the closure of Palmer's Shipyard. Poverty and depravation was rife in Tyneside generally, so similar to the demise of the collieries a few decades later, the community felt action needed to be taken on their impact of their standard of living. A banner was retained and can be found in the Town Hall.

The building is still retained by South Tyneside Council.