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21/02/2010




my photos

Captain Cook's Cottage, Vic, Aus ...

Built in 1755 by the parents of Captain James Cook, the cottage originally stood in the North Yorkshire village of Great Ayton.

In 1933 the owner of the cottage decided to sell it to the empire, and an Australian bid of £800 was accepted.




I thought to move house is stressful enough, but to actually move a house, well that's a completely different ball game!

The cottage was deconstructed brick by brick and packed into 253 cases and 40 barrels complete with an ivy cutting, for shipping onboard the Port Dunedin from Hull.



This lovely old photo shows Cooks Cottage where it once stood, circa 1920. The single storey extension was demolished before the sale.

The cottage now stands in the beautifully picturesque Fitzroy Gardens in the city of Melbourne, Australia.
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11 comments:

Jim said...

It really is bizarre that they moved it.
Sydney - City and Suburbs

Simone said...

Wow! What a story! It really is hard to imagine isn't it? I love the post box too! x

Carol said...

How interesting. I was facinated when they moved that lighthouse back from the edge of the ckiff, was it Beachy Head?x

LizzieJane said...

Great story! My goodness what a task that must have been to move it. I so love that post box. I miss seeing them here.
x

Jane said...

I remember my gran telling me about them moving that cottage, it was amazing but then they do that for the Weald and Downland Museum in Sussex to rescue particular old buildings. Jane x

Lesley Todd said...

What an amazing thing to do! Can you imagine trying to put it all back together again! It looks very at home in Australia though and I love the postbox. x

Rosie said...

That is quite a move - I didn't know that Cook's cottage had been sold to Australia - it looks at home in its new setting. I love the bright red post box. Australia seems to honour its heroes like Cook and Flinders so much more than we do over here:)

Ragged Roses said...

Glad I wasn't responsible for the packing!!!
Kimx

Twiggy said...

wow what an amazing thing to do, lovely photos.
twiggy x

Ally Jay said...

I saw that house when I went to Melbourne. It's tiny ut so fascinating.

BumbleVee said...

How wonderful that it is saved and in a beautiful spot....