[2] The design involved a symmetrical main frontage with three bays facing onto Market Street; the ground floor, which formed accommodation for the local fire service, featured a central doorway flanked by four openings for use by the horse-drawn fire engine while, on the first floor, there were an assembly room fenestrated by three large windows.

[2] In 1857, the building was remodelled to a design by Richard Reynolds Rowe of Cambridge in the Italianate style; the work was carried out by Messrs Bennett & Sons at a cost of £257.

[3][4] Whittlesey was governed by improvement commissioners from 1849; they were replaced by an urban district council in 1894, with the building as its headquarters.

[12] The museum was founded in 1976 as an independent charitable trust with a mission and purpose of collecting, caring and interpreting the natural and cultural heritage of Whittlesey and the surrounding area (Coates, Eastrea, Pondersbridge and Turves) for the benefit and enjoyment of students, local people and visitors.

Gallery displays are mounted in the former Caretaker's Cottage and the area previously used to house the town's horse-drawn fire engine.