Captain Cook

CAPTAIN COOK

Whitby has many hidden treasures and tales to tell from years gone by.

If you take a walk into Whitby town, don't forget to visit the house where the young James Cook stayed when he came to serve his seaman's apprenticeship. The handsome 17th century house on Grape Lane overlooking the harbour belonged to Cook's master, the Quaker shipowner, John Walker. It was here in the attic that the family lodged their apprentices when not at sea serving the London coal trade.

This house is now a museum rich in the collection that celebrates Cook's achievements and the work of those who sailed with him - sailors, scientists and artists.

In the museum you can see letters in Cook's own hand displayed for you to read along with original paintings and drawings, ship models and maps, and strange objects from newly discovered lands.

From the bleak Antarctic ocean to the fertile beauty of the Pacific Islands, all Europe was fascinated by the images and objects brought back. Discover how Cook became a household name in Britain and beyond, and his voyages a model others to follow.

There is a Special Exhibition for 2013. The new exhibition brings together paintings and plans, original artefacts and models showing the variety of canoes and catamarans which astonished Cook and his men with their beauty, speed and maneuverability.

This is well worth a visit as you are taken back to times of when Cook would be thinking of all his new ideas of where to go and explore next.


Claire
 Reception