See Whitby: Captain Cook Memorial Museum

Whitby is famous for?

Whitby (St Hilda's) Abbey, Dracula, Bram Stoker, Captain Cook, Whitby Goths, Whitby Regatta, Whitby Whaling, Fishing, St Mary's Church, Whitby Jet, Whitby Witches, Whitby Town, The Whitby Seagull, 199 Steps, Harbour, Whitby Piers, Shipping Trades, Alum Production, B&Bs, The East Cliff, Captain William Scoresby, Fisherman's Cottages, Whitby's Yards, Steps and cobbled streets, Fish and Chips, The Endeavour, Ghost Walks, Sea Food, Seaside, The West Cliff, Whitby Folk Festival, Caedmon, Frank Sutcliffe, Whitby Kippers, Lobster, Crabs and Scampi, Synod of A.D. 664, Australian 'First Fleet' supply vessels,

Do you know any other things Whitby is famous for? Let us know and we'll add it to the list, see here!

Discover Whitby's street names and their history here

Break the ice, Jury, Binge drinking, Incredible Hulk, Down the hatch, ...discover these and many more well known phrases from our maritime past here

Find out about the building styles and architecture found in the buildings of Whitby here.

Whitby in times gone by, ads from the past here

Old Whitby Ad

Captain Cook Memorial Museum

Beautiful 17th century house in Grape Lane backing onto Whitby’s harbourside. According to tradition this is where the ship owner, Captain John Walker, lodged his apprentices, among them the young James Cook. Walker and his brother Henry owned the house.

The Museum celebrates the life of Cook and the achievements of those who sailed with him. Two period rooms furnished according to an inventory of the time evoke the well-to-do but simple lifestyle of the Quaker household where Cook stayed when not at sea. In the upper floors, the attic and the adjoining cottage wing, a rich collection – ship models, manuscripts, letters in Cook’s own hand, original paintings and drawings, many by the artists who sailed on the Voyages, Pacific artifacts – bring to life the world of James Cook from his apprenticeship in Whitby to his death in Hawaii.

The Museum is open daily from 1 March to 31 October – also, in most years, half term weekends in February. For detailed times, see the visitor information page at Grape Lane.

Grape Lane, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO22 4BA

Tel: 01947 601900

Captain Cook Memorial Museum