It is housed on a grass field site of approximately 14 acres (5.7 ha), and is the only museum in the district specifically dedicated to the subject of farming.

The site is also home to the last surviving stretch of the Derwent Valley Light Railway, part of whose archive is also in the museum's collection.

Living history facilities include a mock Roman fort called Brigantium, which is a disguised outdoor classroom designed to cater for up to 65 children at a time.

A number of rare breeds of livestock are kept on site, including a Toggenburg goat, 'Jeffrey', who has been made an honorary member and mascot for the RAF 609 (West Riding) squadron since March 2010.

In 2013 a new exhibition opened; Feeding the Nation: A Celebration of the Women's Land Army is located on the upper floor of the Four Seasons Building.

Subjects covered in the archive include: manorial documents, agricultural machinery manufacturers' accounts, the Women's Land Army, the Derwent Valley Light Railway, the Cleveland Bay Horse Society, and a huge array of miscellaneous accounts, correspondence, certificates, photographs, maps and prints.