[4] In 2015, the museum was reopened following a refurbishment, part-funded by a £15,000 grant from Arts Council England.

[7] The museum has collections and displays on themes of the natural world, local oyster trade, early diving and the actor, Peter Cushing, who lived locally,[8] as well as displays on the 1953 floods, shipwrecks and maritime archaeology.

The museum also contains relics from the East Indiaman Hindostan, which wrecked at Margate in January 1803.

[12][13][14][15] The collection includes: ship paintings on the theme of international and local trading links; town, shore and coastal views; the work of local artists; and artworks borrowed from an international network of galleries.

[17] The museum takes part in the annual Whitstable Oyster Festival by hosting interactive exhibitions.