House Guide
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THE HOUSE
In the mid-18th century, this house belonged to the Walker family. James Cook lodged here 1746-49 while apprenticed to Captain John Walker.
The house is an example of a Whitby shipowner's residence, used both as a family home and as a place of business. The yard and slipway led to the harbourside from which the ships were serviced.
A plaque on the front of the house bears the date 1688 and the initials M. and S.D., recording that the house was built for Moses Dring and his wife Susannah, from whom John Walker's father bought it in 1729. On his death in 1743 he left it to his sons Henry and John, and their mother continued to live there. After Henry's death, John Walker became the sole owner of the house until his own death in 1785. It remained in the family until 1816.
The style of living of this 18th century household has been recreated by furnishing the ground floor rooms in accordance with an inventory made by John Walker following the death of his mother in 1751. The Walker family were Quakers. They expected their furniture to be simple, well-made and long-lasting, not to be discarded for reasons of fashion.
ORIENTATION
The first room after reception contains a time line, maps from the late 16th to mid 18th centuries showing how the world was mapped before Cook's voyages of exploration, with much of the Pacific unexplored. The most prominent exhibit is the cutaway model of Resolution, with examples of her stores and figures representing the 111 men who sailed in her from London for the Third Voyage.
THE OLD KITCHEN
Discovered recently, the floor of the old kitchen which Cook knew, remains exposed. It is furnished with equipment listed in the inventory, including cauldron, cullenders, irons, candlesticks, nutmeg grater, tinder box. The wall hanging recreates the vanished hearth.
THE GREEN ROOM
The 18th century gate-leg table is covered with a white damask cloth and laid ready for a meal. The plates and serving dish are pewter; the knives and two-pronged forks have handles of antler. The glasses hold home-brewed ale.
The mid-17th century leather-covered chairs are older than the house itself.
THE BLUE ROOM
In accordance with Quaker custom, there are no pictures on the walls. The 'cane' chairs with high upright backs are late 17th century and were already old-fashioned when the Walkers moved into the house. The escritoire (about 1730) is a utilitarian piece with drawers and pigeon holes in which John Walker could keep his business papers. The longcase 'twenty-four hour' clock was made about 1730 by the Quaker clockmaker Robert Henderson of Scarborough; note its single hand.
No carpets or curtains were listed in the inventory for the Blue and Green Rooms, although some upper rooms had curtains.
The area through the door on the far side of the room is adapted for showing a DVD of the upper floors of the house.
1ST FLOOR - THE WHITBY ROOM
The central exhibit is a model of a Whitby collier-bark, settled on the mud at low tide behind Walker's house. Designed to carry bulk cargoes, the ship was broad-beamed, flat-bottomed, with bluff bows. Very seaworthy despite appearances, she could cope well with extreme weather.
The display case in the far corner of the room contains the Muster Roll of Walker's ship Freelove in 1747, when James Cook was an apprentice. His name is third from the bottom of the page. A typical Apprenticeship Indenture dated 1735 is on the wall near the door from the landing.
The glass-fronted cupboard holds a letter dated 3rd January 1772 from Cook to Captain Hammond of Hull, from whom the Royal Navy had bought two Whitby colliers, telling him that they had been renamed Resolution and Adventure; also John Walker's copy of 'A Voyage towards the South Pole and Round the World', written by James Cook, Commander of the Resolution.
The pictures include 18th century watercolours of Whitby and a copy of an early 19th century picture of the Fishburn and Langborne shipyards, where Cook's ships for the three great voyages were built.
THE LONDON ROOM
In 1755, at the age of 26, while in London, Cook enlisted in the Royal Navy. War with France was imminent. In the next few years he saw service in the Channel and in Canada, where, promoted to the rank of master, he developed skills in navigation and cartography. In 1762 he married Elizabeth Batts, aged 21, of Barking, and they set up home in the Mile End Road. During the next five years Cook surveyed and charted the coasts of Newfoundland, returning regularly to London. One of his charts stands on the easel, near to a print of Captain Hugh Palliser, governor of Newfoundland and patron of Cook.
The long case contains plaques and medals struck in commemoration of Cook and the voyages, and a letter to Lord Sandwich (then First Lord of the Admiralty) from Elizabeth Cook seeking a pension. There is a reproduction of a portrait thought to be of Mrs. Cook in old age. She lived to be 93, and had to cope with many tragedies: three of her six children died in infancy. Her husband's terrible death was followed by the deaths of her three sons. The case by the window contains mourning jewellery, documents and objects relating to her.
There are views of the dockyards at Deptford and Sheerness where the Whitby ships were fitted out for their voyages; also of the Royal Hospital at Greenwich, where Cook accepted an appointment in 1775, after the Second Voyage.
THE VOYAGES ROOM
In 1768 Cook was promoted to commissioned rank and in the next eleven years, in command of converted Whitby colliers, carried out his three great voyages of exploration.
The large map shows the routes of the First Voyage (1768-71) in Endeavour; the Second Voyage (1772-75), in Resolution and Adventure; and the Third Voyage (1776-80), in Resolution and Discovery, lasting four years and three months. Cook was killed on 14th February 1779 in Hawai'i. Below the map are copies of letters which Cook wrote to John Walker after the first two voyages.
In the long display case are documents relating to the controversy about fitting out Resolution before she sailed on the Second Voyage. The botanist Joseph Banks considered that the accommodation allocated to his party was inadequate; in the end he withdrew.
On the walls are original works by William Hodges, artist on the Second Voyage, and by John Webber, of the Third Voyage. There is also a reproduction of the Hodges portrait of Cook.
There are examples of work by amateur artists, including watercolours by William Ellis (surgeon's second mate on Discovery) and four hand-coloured aquatints, based on sketches by James Cleveley (ship's carpenter on the Third Voyage), and afterwards coloured by his brother John, a professional artist.
A corner of the room is devoted to Cook's death. An original 'minute' from King George III expresses his regret for Cook's loss.
THE ATTIC
This large room is where John Walker lodged James Cook and any other apprentices he wished to retain when ashore. A pinhole model recreates the scene.
Young James was even then keen to study the subjects which would advance him in his chosen profession - navigation, mathematics, and astronomy. He was a favourite of the housekeeper Mary Prowd, who would give him extra pieces of candle so that he could read in the dark evenings. The area is also used for special exhibitions.
Return downstairs via the First Floor Link - the gallery above the Old Kitchen shows more prints of work by Hodges and Webber.
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH
The final Room - To the Ends of the Earth - contains a model of the Endeavour's stove and artefacts showing the sorts of food typically issued on board ship. Cook was most concerned with diet and the health of seamen and took every opportunity to provide fresh food. The corridor contains material from Cook's last Voyage, when he probed beyond the Bering Strait in search of the North-West Passage, thus becoming the first to cross both Arctic and Antarctic circles.
After his death in Hawai'i, the ships continued on the original plan, attempting the passage from the Siberian side. Webber's original drawings of natives of Kamchatka and a summer dwelling are shown in the corridor here.
2ND FLOOR - THE SCIENTISTS' ROOM
Contributions to many branches of knowledge came from the work of those who sailed on the voyages. The First Voyage was distinguished by the discovery of thousands of previously unknown species of flora and fauna, recorded and drawn by Joseph Banks and his party. The later voyages also contributed to natural history, together with astronomical observations and hydrographic data. A video explains the principles of navigation. The discovery of new peoples, with their customs and languages, enlarged ethnology.
The fourth Earl of Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty, recognised the importance of the scientific work done and of publishing accurate accounts of the Voyages. It is fitting that his portrait by Thomas Gainsborough hangs here.
An engraving of the naturalists Johann Reinhold and Georg Forster, scientists on the Second Voyage, together with an oil painting of Georg, hang above the desk. The desk was used by them on Resolution.
THE ARTISTS ROOM
The work of both professional and amateur artists on each voyage was vital. This room shows work by the professional artists: Sydney Parkinson on the First Voyage, William Hodges on the Second, and John Webber on the Third. Parkinson died on the return voyage across the Indian Ocean. Hodges and Webber pursued successful careers, becoming Royal Academicians.
The large cabinets contain the major part of Banks' Florilegium (from 2020). 743 engraved plates were prepared under Banks' direction from Parkinson's drawings, but were only printed in full colour in the 1980s.
This room also contains original portraits of Admiral William Bligh, of Bounty fame, and his wife Elizabeth, painted by John Russell, RA. William, aged 22, was Master of Resolution on the Third Voyage. The case holds examples of the exotic shells Elizabeth collected.
Charity No. 517546 Registration No. RD133