At the centre of Hornsea Museum stands the Grade II Listed building of Burns Farm, which was bought and opened to the public by the founders of the museum over 30 years ago. Burns Farm appears to be an excellent example of a mid-18th century Holderness farmhouse of two storeys with a painted brick façade and pantile roof. On closer inspection it is clear that a much earlier single-storey building, constructed of locally-sourced cobblestone, gathered from the beach, lies at its heart. Pre-18th century domestic buildings are particularly rare in the East Riding.  In the hands of one family for many generations, and preserved since as a museum, the unspoilt interior of Burns Farm is exceptional. Another significant feature is the retention of its outbuildings. There are very few such farmsteads surviving within towns, once a common feature before the enclosure of the open fields.  

 Recently, the exterior of the centrepiece building that fronts Hornsea's main street had begun to look shabby.  In late 2010, we applied for, and were successful with an application for a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.  This funding is allowing us to put a much deserved spotlight on our fantastic historic building by concentrating our efforts on research, conservation and re-presentation of the building for the benefit of our visitors now and in the future. Previously some may have regarded Burns Farm as merely the setting of our social history collections and a part of Hornsea Museum, but with the help of this project we are beginning to return it to its rightful place as the star heritage asset of our organisation.

There was much excitement when, at the beginning of 2012, workmen started to clad the outside of the building with scaffolding in order to start work on windows, chimneys and brickwork.