Whitby is a beautiful fishing town on the North Yorskhire coast, known for its rather lovely Abbey and as the town where Dracula first set foot in England.
It’s one of our favourite destinations for a day out. One place we have never visited and always meant too is the other side of the estuary- the Captain Cook Memorial museum- link here Captain Cook moved to Whitby as a young man first to work in a grocers shop and then as an apprentice seaman, for a family called Walker who lived in the house, where Cook was also housed, that now servces as a museum. I suppose the voyage for which Cook is most well known is the one where he charted New Zealand.
The museum is really quite charming,informative and well worth a visit after you are Draculad out. Here’s what caught my eye.
A very splendid globe. I was disappointed that you aren’t allowed to spin it, what is the point of a globe if not to spin it?
Recent renovations unearthed the orginal kitchen floor where the apprentices would have eaten.
Seen like this one realises just how basic kitchens were.
The Green room, with a table set for dinner. The chairs are older than the house.
The Blue room- no pictures on the walls as John Walker was a Quaker.
The view across the harbour on a wet day in October.
I loved this display upstairs.
The detail that has gone into making this cutaway model of the Resolution is amazing- 111 figures, and imagine living on board a ship with all of them.
Hope you enjoyed this little taster of a rather fascinating museum. I wonder has anyone been to a good museum recently?
nanacathy2
Comments on: "Captain Cook" (24)
Well I never knew Captain Cook had a Whitby history – but then I’m a big vampire fan, so easily distracted by Dracula. Thanks for sharing. I’m with you on the globe. I have one for that exact purpose – I may draw it and share it with you one day and if you ever come to my house you can spin it to your heart’s content.
I tried to spin the globe till I spotted the notice that said don’t ! You have a globe, how absolutely wonderful, and I look forward to the sketch. And maybe one day I will spin it. Thank you.
Ha ha! I’ve done that with do not touch signs. Afraid my globe is only a small one, but very spinable.
What an interesting post, Cathy! I love seeing these historical places through your eyes!
Thanks Kathy.
I have definitely walked past this little museum when I’ve been to Whitby. I tend to rarely visit museums as I usually am holding the lead of a certain black Labrador. But maybe that’s just an excuse. I have managed to go round the Bronte museum in Haworth a couple of times. 🙂 X
Dogs don’t tend to like museums, and vice versa!
Hugo has been in one museum. The pencil museum in Keswick allows dogs in. He wasn’t enthralled by it. 😉 X
I think most Australians would argue that charting and exploring the east coast of Australia was Cook’s most famous expedition, especially the bit where he ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef at Cape Tribulation. The nearest I’ve been to Whitby is a famous and very old pub in London called The Prospect of Whitby, named after a coal-carrying ship that plied the route between Newcastle upon Tyne and London. So I’ve learned something new today 🙂
The video that plays in the museum spoke about the voyage exploring the east coast. It is only a small museum and there is not much space for everything.
Also, I’m sure it depends on the country doing the exhibit! This country has endless things named after him: towns, flowers, universities, and so on. They even brought over the cottage his parents built, brick by brick, even though the man himself never lived there! Have a look, if you’re interested:
(https://whatson.melbourne.vic.gov.au/placestogo/cookscottage/pages/cookscottage.aspx)
Thanks for the link. How super that there is a bit of Yorkshire in Melbourne. It makes me smile that someone did this! And it’s a very pretty cottage.
I like that Captain Cook is a local hero on both sides of the world…
Yes, there are few people like that.
So lovely to see this post. It brought back memories of our visit to Whitby. https://suth2.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/tuesday-travels-whitby-dracula-and-captain-cook/
I just went to read your post, written before I had started to follow your blog. I’m so glad you went to Goathland too.
Looks good there. I love museums. We went to a fairly small museum a few weeks ago and I keep meaning to do a blog post for it. The Portland Basin museum in Ashton-under-Lyne alongside the Ashton canal. There’s all sorts in there in relation to industry that thrived on the canals during the industrial revolution.
That sounds like a really interesting museum. I would enjoy a blogpost about it.
These small, local museums are such a nice contrast to the huge ones crammed with tourists.
I love small museums, the smaller the better! This one was doing ok for visitors as it was half term and raining the proverbial.
I’m reading a book set in Whitby (The Whitby Witches) and I’d really love to visit, it seems like such an interesting little place.
That’s new book on me, I shall have to lookintoit. Whitby is rather lovely, come in the Spring before all the tourists.
Fascinating. What a dear little museum.
I haven’t been to a Museum recently but I have been to Tahiti (in 1994) where I heard of his visit to that island and of his plotting the transit of Venus.
Nice to link Whitby and Tahiti with fond memories of visits to both, especially on a dull wet autumn day.
Tahiti trumps Whitby for sure!