Whitby Museum is an independent museum, founded in 1823 yet highly relevant to the world today. Step through the front entrance to see gigantic fossils on the walls – we have dinosaur footprints too. Here you can learn about the history of the whaling industry, discover where those whale bones in town come from, and think about what whaling means in the 21st century. Our marvellous toys speak of an age before gaming, and the detailed, painstaking work that went into creating our model ships – and the real ones – is a sight to behold. Whitby is famous for its jet, and you can see a wealth of jet objects and jewellery in our museum, not just in the shops around Market Square. Oh, and that local lad, Captain Cook, is present too.