Heritage Value of Spyglass 1708

Spyglass 1708 forms part of a Grade II Listed Building marking the property out as being important in England's history.

Because of its age - standing for over 300-years - the property sits within Whitby's conservation precinct in historic Rose & Crown Yard.

The property was constructed Anno Dom 1708 for Thomas and Elizabeth Walker – a famous Whitby Quaker shipping Family.

You can still see the plaque that the Walkers placed outside the property in Rose & Crown Yard.

Our History Plaque in Rose & Crown Yard.

The Plaque reads: "Thomas and Elizabeth Walker Hovfe bvld in the year Anno Dom 1708".

John Walker - a Quaker relative of Thomas - is famously known for apprenticing young James Cook into the seafairing trade before Captain Cook became the World's greatest navigator and explorer.

You can also visit John Walker's house on Grape Lane - just 5-minutes walk from Spyglass - and now the home of the Captain Cook Memorial Museum.

The Views of Whitby Offered by Spyglass 1708 is Simply Spectacular.

Local folklore suggests that young James Cook - the Yorkshire lad who would go on to discover Australia and chart New Zealand may also have visited the Walkers living at Spyglass 1708.

If true, that is certainly real heritage!

Captain James Cook Learned to Sail Whilst Living with the Walker Family in Whitby. HM Bark Endevour.