15. Stewart Park and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, Marton, Middlesbrough, Teesside

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re-edit 24/04/2023

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A lovely park with lots of trees and green space to walk around and the children to play in, plus the little zoo and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum.

It all seems a far cry from the industrial activity of Teesside and the busy bustling town of Middlesbrough.

Introduction to Stewart Park.

Stewart Park is a public park located in Marton, Middlesbrough, Teesside, that is 120 acres in size. It was named after Councillor Tom Dorman Stewart, who donated the land to the town in 1928. The park was designed by John MacKenzie, a landscape architect who worked for Middlesbrough Council.

During the 19th century, the site was part of the Marton Estate, owned by the Pennyman family. The estate was home to Marton Hall, a mansion that was built in the mid-17th century and demolished in 1960. The estate was sold to Middlesbrough Council in the 1920s, and the land was used to develop a public park.

Stewart Park features a range of facilities for visitors, including a lake, playgrounds, a skate park, tennis courts, and a miniature railway. It is also home to the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum.

The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum is located on the edge of Stewart Park and is dedicated to the life and achievements of Captain James Cook, the famous explorer who was born in the nearby village of Marton in 1728. The museum was opened in 1978 and was designed by the architect, Ralph Tubbs.

The museum features a range of exhibits on Cook's life and voyages, including maps, paintings, and authentic artifacts from the time period. One of the main attractions is the replica of Cook's ship, HMS Endeavour.

The museum is situated on the site of the cottage where Cook was born, which was demolished in the 18th century. The site has a commemorative plaque and a garden that is reminiscent of a Georgian cottage garden.

Both Stewart Park and the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum are important historical landmarks in Teesside, attracting visitors from all over the world who come to learn about the area's rich history and culture.

The beautiful small deer in the 'zoo' of Stewart Park

The tree sculpture in Stewart Park.

The Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in Stewart Park.

The expansive and lovely parkland of Stewart Park with the lake on the far right.

The lake in Stewart Park, complete with ducks and geese.

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Stewart Park
In 1853, the ruin and the land that is now the park were bought by the Middlesbrough ironmaster H. W. F. Bolckow. He built a new hall, which, after serving for a short period of time as a museum, was destroyed during demolition by fire in 1960, after standing empty for several years. Stewart Park 4 Captain Cook Birthplace Museum The site is now home to the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, opened in 1978. Stewart Park 5 Captain Cook Birthplace Museum In addition to viewing the large collection of Cook-related objects at the museum, visitors can view a grade II listed granite urn erected by Bolckow in 1858 on the site of the demolished Cook cottage. Stewart Park 6 Captain Cook Birthplace Museum

Captain Cook Birthplace Museum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Established 28 October 1978
Location Stewart Park, Middlesbrough
Coordinates 54.53830°N 1.20240°WCoordinates: 54.53830°N 1.20240°W
Nearest car park Use Stewart Park car park
Captain Cook Birthplace Museum is a public museum located in Stewart Park in Marton, Middlesbrough within the borough of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is one of three institutions run by the Middlesbrough Museum & Gallery Service along with the Dorman Museum and the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (mima).

The museum opened on 28 October 1978, Stewart Park 1 Captain Cook Birthplace Museum the 250th anniversary of the birth in the same spot of British naval explorer and circumnavigator Captain James Cook. A biographical museum, it champions and surveys his life, times and subsequent journeys.

This pink granite urn is inscribed with the text "This granite urn was erected by H.W.F. Bolkow of Marton Hall A.D. 1852 to mark the site of the cottage in which Captain James Cook the world circumnavigator was born Oct 27th 1728"
Location on Wikimapia
Prior to its existence, visitors to the Park had long already been enlightened as to the location's historical significance by the erection by local industrialist and mayor Henry Bolckow of a granite urn Stewart Park 2 Captain Cook Birthplace Museum in the 1850s bearing Cook's name, within what were then the grounds of his own residence, Marton Hall. Marton Hall was destroyed by fire in 1960 during demolition, with only a surviving stone loggia Stewart Park 3 Captain Cook Birthplace Museum a telltale sign as to its former existence.

The museum itself comprises some of the modest Cook-related collections outside of the ownership of the major national and international collections; including household items and a speculative reconstruction of the birthplace cottage that was swept away amid the landscaping process for the Marton Lodge, home to the Rudd family, which stood here until 1793. Also on call to the visitor are a series of interactive displays and temporary travelling exhibitions as well as a cafe, gift shop, education suite and resources and archive room.

A second major refurbishment was undertaken in 1998 whereupon Sir David Attenborough reopened it to the public. External to the museum can be found an information board in deference to Marton's position as the starting point for the Captain Cook Country Tour, a product of the Cleveland-wide Captain Cook Tourism Association. Stewart Park 4 Captain Cook Birthplace Museum

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