Comments on: At The Mile End Assembly Room

By: Margaret Wright

Margaret Wright — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 11:37:31 +0000

Elizabeth later moved to Clapham. Holy Trinity Church Clapham Common has a plaque in the narthex stating the Mrs Elizabeth Cook left money in her will for the widows of the parish.

But the East End house….

I agree that it is shameful that a house of such extraordinary importance should have been demolished for no reason. I agree with other comments..the officials must have had cotton wool for brains. Whatever where they doing on the council?

By: Cliff Thornton

Cliff Thornton — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 17:00:04 +0000

It is said that this house was offered for sale to Australia, as Melbourne already housed the Cook cottage from Great Ayton. But that was the cottage of James Cook’s parents, built in 1755, the same year that their son went to sea. So he never actually lived in the cottage. It is said that Australia delclined to buy the house in Assembly Row, fearing that its Cook connections might prove to be nought!

By: Dr Heather Clarke

Dr Heather Clarke — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 05:02:37 +0000

Thank you for reposting my article to your site. I love the additional pictures – especially the photograph of Assembly Passage. Is there information about the building above the passage?
Kind regards,
Heather

By: Marcia Howard

Marcia Howard — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 21:04:07 +0000

As my home for the past 20 years has been in North Yorkshire, I know much about James Cook’s life in the north-east; his birthplace at Marton, growing up in Great Ayton where there is a large monument to him, Staithes where he lodged during his apprenticeship, and the wonderful museum in his name at Whitby. However, I knew nothing about his life in London, so this was a really interesting article, albeit with sadness that his life there is now just a brick wall and a plaque. What a wonderful portrait of his wife Elizabeth too, where much sadness must lie behind that enigmatic smile, having lost so many children. Thank you Gentle Author. Your writings are a joy.

By: Maureen Cocklin

Maureen Cocklin — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 20:48:55 +0000

I lived quite near to Captain Cook’s house and when I’ve passed by I often wondered the same thing that Jim McDermott said. Why would you want to demolish it. It wasn’t dangerous or falling down. It makes you wonder what some of the officials have for brains.

By: Annie Green

Annie Green — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 18:45:57 +0000

I must say, I am with Jim on this. What a redoubtable woman. I like to look out for assembly rooms when out and about – they are often quite recognisable – and think I spotted one today in deepest Lancashire. Pleasing.

By: Helen Breen

Helen Breen — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 11:43:52 +0000

Greetings from Boston,

GA, what an interesting piece about James Cook and his connection to the East End. I attended a fine exhibition about his voyages a few years back at the British Library.

How sad – “Elizabeth lived for another fifty-six years, surviving all six of their children. George, Joseph and Elizabeth died in infancy, Nathaniel, aged fifteen died eight months after his father, Hugh died, aged seventeen in 1793, from scarlet fever and James, thirty-one, drowned in 1794.”

Unfortunately, those circumstances were not that uncommon back in those days…

By: Pamela Traves

Pamela Traves — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 11:00:54 +0000

Wonderful Pictures!! Thank You So Very Much!!!????????

By: Jim McDermott

Jim McDermott — Sat, 16 Nov 2019 06:43:34 +0000

There are many good reasons to demolish a historically-important building, but I can think of none more so that ‘to widen access to a car park’. Why more local Authority officials haven’t been summarily hanged is a profound mystery to me.