The CCSU meeting 22/24th September 2000 was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. The excellent hotel in Marton village is a really comfortable base with good food. Friday’s evening meal was taken in a group and, with the informal meeting afterwards, was a chance to meet “old friends” from previous meetings as well as “new faces” to get to know. We found that all the members were really friendly and eager to discuss their own particular interest in Captain Cook.
Saturday started with an enjoyable walk in glorious sunshine to Stewart Park and the Birthplace Museum, where we had an interesting day of lectures and slide shows. The lecture by Prof. Philip Edwards on editing Cook’s Journals prompted us to buy his book. Miss Ruth Boreham kindly arranged for the vicar of St Cuthbert’s Church in the village to open the church for a group of members to visit in the lunch hour. It was amazing to see the register of Cook’s baptism on 3rd November 1728 still in good condition. The special evening dinner on Saturday was taken in excellent company. We have met and talked with so many interesting and knowledgeable members
and gained a lot more information about Cook.
Whilst some members went to the Great Ayton Schoolroom Museum on Sunday, a group of us went to Staithes to the Captain Cook and Staithes Heritage Museum of Mr and Mrs Reg Firth. It’s always a pleasure for us to visit this museum as there is always a new exhibit to see.
Then on to the museum in Grape Lane, Whitby where we were shown the new exhibition on scurvy and the new portraits of William and Betsy Bligh, still in wonderful condition considering the fact that they are pastels
Looking forward to the next meeting and thanks should go to the officers of the CCSU for organising so well an enjoyable weekend.
Bernard and Sylvia Higginbotham
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1792, volume 24, number 1 (2001).
Some photos from the weekend are below