Description:

An oval cartouche with a pair of crossed swords tied with a ribbon and a set of scales. At the top a lions head.

Background:

Originally commissioned as a town hall, the foundation stone was laid by Alderman Malkin.

It was not completed until 1911, when it became a venue for theatres, concerts and other entertainment, then known as the Queen's Hall.

In 1966 it became the permanent theatre for the North Staffordshire Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, and was also well known as a centre for local dance during the 1960s. 

The history of the building (with the abolition of the Council shortly after work had started on the Town Hall) helps to explain the extravagant section of the façade, with the columns and three doors of the left wing being very different to the right wing, which is extremely plain and has its own entrance, though clearly built at the same time.

The emblems seem to point to the right side of the building's use as a theatre, while the coat of arms with crossed swords and scales seems to indicate a civic use for the left wing.