Peter Allan (6 September 1799 – 31 August 1849) was an English recluse and eccentric who carved rocks in the
Marsden Bay at
Marsden, South Shields into a house.
Early life
Born to Peter Allan, a shoemaker in
Gladsmuir and Jane Renny, who was the daughter of Archibald Kenley of
Tranent
Tranent is a town in East Lothian (formerly Haddingtonshire), in the south-east of Scotland. The town lies 6 miles from the boundary of Edinburgh, and 9.1 miles from the city centre. It lies beside the A1 road, the A1 runs through the parish ...
, Allan was initially a valet to
Williams Williamson and a
gamekeeper
A gamekeeper (often abbreviated to keeper), or in case of those dealing with deer (deer-)stalker, is a person who manages an area of countryside (e.g. areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland) to make sure there is enough game for shoo ...
for the
Marquess of Londonderry
Marquess of Londonderry, of the County of County Londonderry, Londonderry ( ), is a title in the Peerage of Ireland.
History
The title was created in 1816 for Robert Stewart, 1st Marquess of Londonderry, Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Londonderry ...
. He later ran a tavern in the village
Whitburn on the
Durham coast.
Marsden
After becoming infatuated with and working at the
quarries near his property, he decided to turn a
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
cliff in the
Marsden Grotto in the Marsden Bay into an actual house. He carved out fifteen rooms which connected to a farmhouse and tavern (''The Grotto'') on the cliff above.
He mostly remained with his wife and children in the rock and did not often visit the surrounding towns. He also saved a number of boats offshore and a group of children from drowning. In 1848 the
lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...
attempted to eject him based on his ownership of the above land. Allan successfully defended his right to live at the spot in a lawsuit, but died on 31 August 1849, perhaps affected by the stress. The structure, which became a sort of public attraction, was obliterated by a collapse of the cliff in February 1865.
''The Grotto'' remains, connected to a hotel.
Controversy
Although the history has some documentary backing, some insist that the story is exaggerated. Alan Robinson wrote a book in the 1970s denying the notion that Allan was a hermit.
External links
Grotto- pictures and history of the Allan, the pub, and the area
- Mysteries of the Grotto
References
* Sidney Lee, ‘Allan, Peter (1799-1849)’, rev. H. C. G. Matthew, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allan, Peter
1799 births
1849 deaths
People from South Shields
People from East Lothian