Cook's Cottage description and photos - Australia: Melbourne (Topic)

Cook's Cottage description and photos - Australia: Melbourne. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Cook's Cottage.

Photo and description

In the beautiful Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne, there is one of the main attractions of Australia - the so-called Captain Cook's Cottage. In fact, the famous English traveler himself did not live in this house - the house was built by his parents James and Grace Cook in 1755 in the village of Great Ayton (Great Britain). But the researchers are sure that Captain Cook at least stayed in this house, visiting his father and mother.

In 1933, the woman, the former owner of the house, decided to sell it on the condition that the building itself remains in England. As a result of long negotiations, she was persuaded to sign an agreement in which the word "England" was replaced by the word "Empire". So the house became the property of the Australian Government, which offered 800 pounds sterling for it, which was almost three times higher than the original price.

Interestingly, all expenses for buying a house and transporting it to the "green continent" were covered by a businessman from Melbourne Russell Grimwade. In 1934, the house was dismantled, packed in 253 boxes and 40 barrels and transported to Australia. There were no questions about where exactly to recreate the house, which has great historical value for all Australians - Grimwade donated it to the residents of Victoria for the centenary of the founding of Melbourne. Around the cottage were planted cuttings of the same ivy that grew on the English lawn in front of Cook's house. They were cut in advance and brought to Australia along with the house itself.

Today, a real English garden is laid out around Cook's cottage. The house is considered a historical landmark, although very few things that are in it are really belonged to the Cook family. Nevertheless, its interior, household items and utensils reflect the life of the era of the great navigator. Here you can see a statue of James Cook, a portrait of his wife Elizabeth Butts and a portrait of the entire Cook family.

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Topic: Cook's Cottage description and photos - Australia: Melbourne.