About the Museum
See how Great Ayton might have looked in the eighteenth century. Sit next to the young James Cook for a lesson in the schoolroom. Follow his amazing voyages and how he changed the map of the world.
The Schoolroom Museum in Great Ayton is housed in a building once used as a charity school which was founded in 1704 by Michael Postgate, a local landowner. It was here, between 1736 and 1740, that Captain James Cook received his early education.
With the help of a Lottery Grant in 2012 the museum has been entirely refreshed and modernised. It features a reconstruction of a schoolroom of the early eighteenth century, when teaching methods were very different from today. Interactive displays about James Cook’s early life and education, and his later achievements provide enjoyment for the whole family.
The refurbished shop sells a wide range of gifts and books and a new staircase and lift provides easy access to the Museum.
