THE flags were out at what may be the smallest museum on Teesside earlier this week.

Volunteers past and present celebrated both all things Yorkshire but also the tenth anniversary of the re-opening of Winkies Castle Folk Museum at Marske, near Redcar.

"There were some surprised members of the public who turned up unaware that it was such a special day in the history of Winkies Castle," said a spokeswoman for the museum.

Winkies Castle contains a wealth of information about the small town and tells of the burial of Captain James Cook's father in 1779 and Malcolm Campbell's land speed record on Marske Beach in 1922. It depicts the town's history from the 11th century to the present day and also features the First World War aerodrome which counted WE Johns, the author of the famous "Biggles" books as one of its instructors.

The museum is open to the public from 11am to 4.30pm every Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from Easter Saturday to the end of September, and also during the October school holiday.

The museum was founded by local cobbler Jack Anderson in 1975 and bequeathed to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council on his death in 2001. It is based in one of the oldest cottages in Marske on the High Street.

To find out more, visit winkiescastle.co.uk