The Burton was built to house the collections of Hubert Coop, which consist of watercolours, oil paintings and Napoleonic ship models. Additions to the collections have included the works of local artists Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards, and the ceramics collection amassed by the artist RJ Lloyd. There are also collections from the former Bideford Museum, representing the history of Bideford. In 2010 a new Ceramics gallery was launched.