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Produced and published by the School of Historical & Philosophical Studies, The University of Melbourne
Published July 2008
Published July 2008
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Businessman and antiquarian Sir Russell Grimwade purchased Cook's Cottage from Great Ayton in Middlesbrough, England, as a gift to Victorians during the 1934 Centenary celebrations. Its association with Captain James Cook remains contentious, supporters arguing that even if it was not his birthplace he would have visited his parents there during his naval leave. Re-erected in the Fitzroy Gardens, the cottage was so popular that security concerns caused Grimwade to abandon plans to develop it as a Cook museum. Managed initially by the Melbourne City Council, and, since the 1970s, jointly with the National Trust of Australia (Victoria), it remains a popular destination for overseas tourists.