The Marsden Grotto, locally known as The Grotto, is a

gastropub A gastropub or gastro pub is a pub that serves gourmet comfort food. The term was coined in the 1990s, though similar brewpubs existed during the 1980s. Etymology The term ''gastropub'' (derived from gastronomy) was coined in 1991, when David E ...

located on the coast at Marsden in

South Shields South Shields () is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne. Historically, it was known in Roman times as Arbeia, and as Caer Urfa by Early Middle Ages. According to the 20 ...

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. It is partly dug into the cliff face and fronted with a more conventional building opening onto the beach. The pub is one of the very few "cave bars" in

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, another being

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in Nottingham. The venue includes large bar, the inside cave with another bar and pool room, a bistro, a heated

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

on the beach and a seafood restaurant upstairs. Access is either by lift from the car park or by a zigzag staircase on the cliff at the side of the building. The lift is housed in a brick shaft rising from the front of the building.

History

Jack the Blaster

A lead miner from Allendale, Jack Bates and his wife Jessie moved to the area in 1782. It is alleged he moved into a small cave at Marsden Rock either after refusing to pay rent on his house in Allendale or simply having nowhere to live. Using explosives from a local quarry, he blasted the small cave into a much larger one, earning his nickname "Jack the Blaster" in the process and creating a rent-free and landlord-free home. The dwelling was accessed by zig-zagging stairs down the cliff, thought to be built by Jack. The unusual and eccentric choice of dwelling attracted visitors, which the couple supplied with refreshments at a cost. It is suggested that he became involved in smuggling activities - offering refreshment to smugglers using caves of the coastline to hide contraband cargo.

Peter Allan

A local man (although originally from Scotland) and pub landlord, Peter Allan took over the Marsden Grotto and developed it with money allegedly won at the races. His father was the

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 ...

of Sir Hedworth Williamson. Allan restored and extended the caves into a 15-room home including a ballroom and kitchen, turning Jack's house into an

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

. In 1848 John Clay, who later became the first mayor of the County Borough of South Shields, bought

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and claimed that the land gave him rights to The Grotto. Allan battled with Clay in court and was forced to pay £50 costs and £10 annual rent for 20 years. Allan sank into depression and died in 1849 leaving his wife and eight children (both his father and mother also survived him). After Allan’s death his family continued to run The Grotto for an additional 35 years. In this time many improvements were made, along with further excavations implemented by Allan's children. A catastrophic cliff fall in 1865 almost destroyed the inn. Large retaining walls were built to protect the internal structure.

Harton Coal Company

The

Harton Coal Company Harton may refer to: *Harton, North Yorkshire, a village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England * Harton, Shropshire, a hamlet in the parish of Eaton-under-Heywood, Shropshire, England *Harton, South Shields, a settlement in South Tyneside, Ty ...

acquired The Grotto in the latter half of the 19th century. It had substantial success during this period, but it was also allowed to fall into disrepair.

Vaux Breweries

Vaux Vaux may refer to: People * Antoine-Alexis Cadet de Vaux (1743–1828), French chemist and pharmacist * Bernard Carra de Vaux (1867–1953), French orientalist who published accounts of his travels in the Middle East *Clotilde de Vaux (1815–184 ...

took over The Grotto in 1898. They decided to clean the place up as it was littered with empty beer barrels that draymen would not collect. In 1938 Vaux purchased The Grotto and set upon a large refurbishment program. The buildings joined onto the caves were rebuilt to a high standard. A lift was also added to the surface. In 1999 Vaux decided to concentrate more on their hotel and leisure business rather than operate as a brewery. A buyer could not be found for the Marsden Grotto and it closed down.

After Vaux

The

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restaurant firm, Tavistock, purchased The Grotto in a poor condition. The premises were totally refurbished and The Grotto opened as a high class seafood restaurant and bar. Following its purchase of the Roker Hotel in

, Tavistock was made an offer it could not refuse and The Grotto was sold to London Inns & Restaurants in 2003. The Grotto later passed to Oxford Hotels and Inns Management Ltd. In September 2007, South Tyneside Council, who are responsible for the stairs adjacent to the pub, closed them off due to a damaged step, pending repair.

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ordered the pub to be temporarily closed to the public until the stairs reopen as they are the only means of safe evacuation from the pub, especially at high tide. The Grotto reopened on 21 March 2008.

Ghosts

There have long been tales of hauntings at The Grotto, mainly relating to a smuggler named John the Jibber who was reputedly murdered by his fellow criminals after selling information to

HM Customs HM Customs (His or Her Majesty's Customs) was the national Customs service of England (and then of Great Britain from 1707, the United Kingdom from 1801) until a merger with the Department of Excise in 1909. The phrase 'HM Customs', in use si ...

. It is said that he was hung in a barrel in a cave close to the present lift shaft and left to starve. Until the pub was sold by Vaux, it was said that the landlord would leave out a special tankard of ale each night after closing and, in the morning, it would be empty. Local DJ and TV presenter,

Alan Robson Alan Robson (born 1 October 1955) is an English radio presenter, and host of the North East radio talk show, ''Alan Robson's Night Owls''. Radio Robson started his career with Metro Radio in Gateshead, presenting his first show on 12 Novembe ...

drank from the tankard during one of his live Metro Radio shows, allegedly sparking off a series of

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

phenomena that eventually forced the then landlord to quit. This included flying ashtrays smashing against the wall and flooding in the cellar after all the beer taps were inexplicably turned on. The original tankard was lost during refurbishment. A replacement is on display, but is no longer filled up each night for the ghost. The pub was also the venue for a

UKTV UKTV Media Limited, simply known as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 through ...

investigation in 2001, where paranormal researchers claimed to have identified at least seven different ghosts.

In fiction

The novel ''Schoolfrenz'' by Ray Crowther is set mainly on Tyneside. The Marsden Grotto is mentioned several times and is the location for the climax of the book. The author's website contains an extract from ''Schoolfrenz'' about Marsden Grotto, and has additional photographs of the Grotto and the surrounding area.