The Marsden Grotto is a public house situated in the small seaside town of South
Shields. It has a history that dates back some 200 years. The Marsden Grotto Pub
is approximately three miles south of the entrance to the River Tyne and is
built into the cliff face at Marsden Bay. Marsden bay is ran by the National
Trust and is notable for the bird sanctuary at Marsden Rock, which is home to
gulls, terns , kittiwakes and various other sea birds.
The Marsden Grotto, was founded in 1782 by an Allen heads lead miner named Jack
Bates. Jack Bates, prior to 1782, found himself out of a job and a home. He made
his way to the South Shields area, where he managed to find work as a quarryman.
Jack, and his wife Jesse, constructed a small dwelling place for themselves at
Marsden bay. Jack obtained some explosives and excavated some of the cave area,
and built into the rock some stairs leading to the top of the cliff face.
From that day on Jack Bates became known as Jack the Blaster. Both lived here
happily for about ten years, running their home as a tearoom for holiday makers
and sightseers in the summer months, then in 1792 Jack died, the house was
abandoned and left to the elements. In 1826 the house was inhabited again, by
Peter Allan, a local man who had previously been the proprietor of the
Highlander at Whitburn. Peter Allan constructed a fifteen room mansion and named
it the Tam 'O' Shanter, but its name was later changed to the Marsden Grotto.
The Pub was a roaring success, being visited by people from all walks of life,
including Smugglers. One evening in the mid 1840's a young contrabander was
befriended by an undercover excise man. Filling the young man with drink, the
excise man gained his confidence and his occupation, the Excise man arrested the
young smuggler. Realizing his mistake, a struggle ensued and the young man
escaped. The Excise man pulled his pistol and fired, there was a loud crack and
the young man slumped to the beach outside, dead, hit by the lead shot between
the shoulder blades. Peter Allan, witnessing this took the young man's tankard
and emptied it onto the floor.
"Let no man drink from this tankard from this day forth lest he be accursed"
Were the words of Peter. He then placed a nail in the wall and hung the tankard
there. A little while later the Pub was taken over by Sidney Milnes Hawkes. One
morning when Sidney was clearing up, presumably after the previous nights
business, He decided to give the tankard a clean, as he was doing so a loud
noise came from outside, Sidney left the tankard on the bar and went outside to
investigate but found nothing.
When he returned, to his astonishment he found the tankard full of beer. From
that day forth Sidney took to filling the tankard on an evening and leaving it
over night, a tradition that has carried on ever since. Sometimes the tankard is
emptied, sometimes half emptied, sometimes it is not touched. There are certain
rules governing the tankard, no one may touch it save the landlord, and to break
them seems to precipitate misfortune. Flash floods, an increase in poltergeist
activity and most recently, the collapse of the arch at Marsden Rock.
