An estate which was once home to explorer Captain James Cook is up for sale - for the bargain price of £1m.

The famous explorer, who led expeditions to Australia, Tahiti and New Zealand, lived at Aireyholme Farm, Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, from the age of eight to 16 and got his first view of the sea from the hills nearby.

The farm is now part of the 762-acre Roseberry estate, which has been split up into several lots for sale by auction next month.

It is expected to fetch £1.3m in total, but the real prize is Cook's former home, set in 282 acres and priced at £292,000.

But, even then the buyer will not be able to live in the property - at least not for some time.

Richard Murray Wells, of Smiths Gore estate agents, in York, said: "The new owners won't be able to live on Aireyholme Farm because it has a secure tenancy.

"That means the present tenants, a farmer and his wife who have lived there for 50 years, have the right to stay on and continue paying rent."

James Cook and his family moved on to the farm in 1736, ,when the lord of the manor, Thomas Skottoe, gave his father a job as estate bailiff.

Cook expert Ian Stubbs said: "Captain Cook spent most of his childhood on the farm and could run up nearby Roseberry Topping to get a good look at the sea ten-and-a- half miles away.

"That would have been his first view of the sea. Skottoe paid Cook's way through school as well, feeding his imagination to the point where he went on to become a great discoverer.

"And he kept in touch with his former lord by sending letters back home while he was on his travels, telling him about all the fascinating things he had seen.

"Very little has changed on the estate over the years and the buildings have all remained intact, so I hope the new owners will be able to leave it the way it is to keep the heritage."

The estate was also home to the Fry family, who were cousins to the prison re- former Elizabeth Fry, whose image is featured on the new £5 note.

It was bought by the Frys at the turn of the l9th Century, when Elizabeth was embarking on her mission to improve conditions for jailed women. It remained in the Fry family until 18 months ago