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Smugglers' cave · South Shields

Jack the Blaster and Jack the Jibber

Drink in a smugglers' cave.

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Illustration: Jack the Blaster and Jack the Jibber
The legend
Smugglers' cave

Jack the Blaster and Jack the Jibber

Hung in a barrel.

See it clearly

What's there
Pub built into a sea cliff
Legend from
South Tyneside
Tone
Eerie
SmugglersGhosts

Before you go

Cave bar, restaurant and hotel at the foot of the cliff, reached by lift or stairs; may close at high tide. Check before you go.

  • Marsden Grotto
  • Near A183
  • The pin is approximate.

A home made with gunpowder.

In 1782 Jack Bates, a miner from Allendale, and his wife Jessie blasted a cave in Marsden Bay's cliff into a rent-free home, earning him the name Jack the Blaster. Later landlords turned it into an inn. Legend says Jack the Jibber, a smuggler who sold information to Customs, was hung in a barrel in a cave and left to starve.

Sources

  1. Marsden Grotto HER 6824, Sitelines —
  2. Marsden Grotto, Co-Curate —
  3. About the Grotto, The Grotto —
  4. Stripping away the myths, Sunderland Echo —

Legends nearby

More Tyne and Wear folklore →