The Grotto: Marsden Bay’s Legendary Cave Pub
The Marsden Grotto, or simply The Grotto, is a unique gastropub located on the coast of Marsden, South Shields, Tyne & Wear.
Partly built into the cliff face, it opens onto the beach with a more traditional front.
One of the few ‘cave bars’ in Europe, it shares this distinction with places like Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham.
The Grotto features a spacious bar, an indoor cave with a second bar and pool room, a bistro, a heated beach terrace, and an upstairs seafood restaurant.
Visitors can access it via a lift from the car park or a zigzag staircase along the cliff.
In 1782, Jack Bates, also known as Jack the Blaster, and his wife Jessie used dynamite from a nearby quarry to carve a large cave into the coastal cliffs at Marsden Bay, South Shields, creating a rent-free home by the sea.
He blasted the small cave into a much larger one, earning his nickname "Jack the Blaster" in the process.
The dwelling was accessed by zigzag stairs down the cliff, thought to be built by Jack Bates.
The unusual and eccentric choice of dwelling attracted visitors, to whom the couple sold refreshments.
Jack soon became entangled in smuggling, offering the cave as a hideout for contraband brought in from overseas.
Smuggling in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, when the Marsden Grotto cave was used, typically involved the illegal transportation of goods to avoid taxes and tariffs imposed by the government.
Britain, during this period, was heavily involved in international trade, and items such as tea, tobacco, alcohol (especially gin and brandy), silk, and other luxury goods were highly taxed to generate revenue.
This made them prime targets for smugglers, who could offer these goods at much lower prices.
Smugglers would often bring contraband into secluded coastal areas, like Marsden Bay, where they could avoid customs authorities.
Caves like the one Jack Bates carved at Marsden were ideal hiding spots for these goods until they could be distributed inland.
Smuggling operations were usually well-organised, involving local communities who helped unload, hide, and transport the goods.
Smuggling was seen by many as a way to bypass what they viewed as unfair taxation, and in some regions, it was even romanticised, with smugglers seen as folk heroes.
However, it was also dangerous, with government enforcement, harsh penalties, and violent clashes between smugglers and authorities being common.
The famous landmark overlooking this pub is Marsden Rock (pictured further below), a notable sea stack of Magnesian Limestone standing about 90 feet high.
It sits roughly 300 feet from the main cliff face and was once famous for its natural arch.
However, this arch collapsed in 1996 after a series of winter storms, leaving behind two separate stacks.
The smaller stack was demolished in 1997 due to safety risks - the larger stack can be reached on foot at low tide but is fully submerged at high tide.
The surrounding cliffs are a vital breeding ground for seabirds, with species such as kittiwakes, herring gulls, and razorbills often seen nesting on the rock.
The rock is believed to have once been a location for smuggling brandy and tobacco, the surrounding high cliff-faces providing cover for the moor boats.
Marsden Rock's importance as a local landmark is highlighted by its frequent portrayal in various forms of art and imagery.
It has been depicted on numerous postcards, photographs, and paintings of the region.
The rock features prominently on the Marsden Lodge Banner, symbolising the pitmen of Whitburn Colliery with the phrase "Firm as a rock we stand."
Additionally, it has served as a backdrop in the North-East drama series, Catherine Cookson.
Over time, the Grotto pub passed through many hands and was gradually transformed into an inn with several rooms throughout the 19th century.
The Grotto has long been associated with tales of hauntings, particularly linked to a smuggler named John the Jibber, who was reportedly murdered by his fellow criminals after betraying them to HM Customs.
According to legend, he was left to starve, hanging in a barrel inside a cave near the current lift shaft.
Until the pub was sold by Vaux, it was customary for the landlord to leave a tankard of ale out each night, only to find it mysteriously empty by morning.
During a live Metro Radio show, local DJ and TV presenter Alan Robson drank from the tankard, allegedly triggering a series of supernatural events that led the landlord to eventually quit.
These events included ashtrays flying across the room and cellar flooding caused by all the beer taps inexplicably turning on.
The original tankard was lost during a refurbishment, and although a replacement is now on display, it is no longer filled for the ghost.
In 2001, a UKTV investigation was conducted at the pub, during which paranormal researchers reportedly identified at least seven different ghosts.
The Grotto’s fascinating past is detailed in the 2008 book The House That Jack Built: The True Story Behind the Marsden Grotto and the Search for Roman Treasure.
Today, the cave is a legendary hotel, beach bar and seafood restaurant, open to the public.
You can also stay overnight in one of their iconic rooms.
If you’re planning a stay, we recommend staying in Room 10 - a Double room-Premier-Ensuite with a sea view.
Room 10 is finished with classic French style furniture a double bed, bedside tables and dressing tables.
Built into the oldest part of the original caves this is a truly unique room which mixes the history of this famous building with all the comforts of the mod cons.
Someone who recently visited the pub said: “I told my wife and daughter that they would be sleeping in a cave on the beach that night. They laughed!
”In reality I was right. This fantastic hotel is pretty unique and abounds with local history and characters. Our rooms overlooking the beach were fantastic and the food sublime.
”A wonderful place to stay.”
If you’d like to visit, the address is: Coast Rd, South Shields NE34 7BS.
If you enjoyed this blog post, please follow Exploring GB on Facebook for daily travel content and inspiration.
Don’t forget to check out our latest blog posts below!
Thank you for visiting Exploring GB.
