In 1907 the Zetland was found a home in the then, disused “ Emma” boathouse, which is now the museum.

The museum has existed in its present form since 1980 and continues, thanks to a dedicated crew of volunteers and

Lord Zetland, who is the Patron of the museum.

There are many artefacts within the museum representing local heritage and maritime history. The ground floor houses

Zetland herself, together with her famous call-out drum. There is the sternboard from the Lord Byron and there is also

several displays, including one showing lifeboats through their different eras of development. Upstairs in the Laurie

Picknett Gallery is an extensive collection of photographs, postcards and memorabilia relating to Redcar and its

characters, dating back to the 1800’s. There is a display of the lower jaw bone of the sperm whale which was stranded

on Redcar beach in 2011. There is a area dedicated to past crews and coxswains of the Redcar and Tees RNLI

lifeboats. Also on this floor is a replica fisherman’s cottage of the early 1900’s. On both floors are audio-visual displays

and a small selection of short films.