Warm welcome for reopening of the Grotto
March 27, 2002
New owners of a centuries-old watering hole are hoping for a sunshine opening after a £600,000 refit.
The sun shone yesterday on Tavistock at the Grotto - which is built into the cliff face at South Shields - as the last touches were put to its refurbishment.
Although the fine weather is expected to break when the pub reopens on Good Friday, its new owner, Sunderland's Tavistock Leisure Group, is hoping it won't be raining on the parade when the much-loved pub welcomes back local drinkers.
The 18th Century pub, now with a name change from the traditional Marsden Grotto, will open to invited guests tonight and tomorrow and to the public on Friday.
After lying empty for 18 months, it is ready to go back on the map.
February 27, 2002
An historic coastal pub will have changed its famous name when it re-opens next month after a massive face-lift.
The Grotto - better known as the Marsden Grotto - has been closed for more than 18 months.
It will be renamed Tavistock at the Grotto when it reopens as a restaurant and bar development on Good Friday, March 29.
New owners Sunderland-based Tavistock Leisure, who are believed to have spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on the transformation, are hoping it will become one of the region's top eating places.
The pub, which will create 30 jobs, will have a first-floor seafood restaurant, two bars and a bistro.
The boarded-up building was snapped up last July by Mark Hird, who owns Sunderland restaurant 11 Tavistock Place.
He said: ‘We are going to ensure that the same high standards that have made 11 Tavistock Place such a success will be carried on at Tavistock at the Grotto.’
The Grotto closed in 2000 after a row between the former tenants and owners Vaux and Pubmaster, which was settled out of court. Grotto history
Mike Hallowell, who has written a book and made two television documentaries on the Marsden Grotto, said: ‘A lot of people are very attached to the name because everybody only remembers it by that.
‘But what a lot of people don't realise is that its name has been changed many times over the years.’
Previous names have included The Tam O'Shanter and The Marine Grotto.
Retired headteacher Alan Robinson has also written a book on the history of the grotto. His grandfather was landlord at the pub at the turn of the last century.
Mr Robinson said: ‘As long as the name Grotto is still there, I have no objections. I think what they are doing there sounds pretty good.’
January 28, 2002 There will be 30 new jobs when the revamped Marsden Grotto at South Shields reopens its doors this spring.
The famous watering hole, which is currently boarded up, is being lavishly restored to offer a wide range of dining and drinking opportunities for visitors.
Along with a seafood restaurant on the first floor, there will be an open bistro where diners can watch the chefs at work and two bar areas, one of which will be decked out in nautical memorabilia.
The major development follows months of speculation over the long-term future of the turn-of-the-century complex. Boarded up
More than a year ago former owners, Hartlepool-based Pubmaster, announced plans for a £500,000 revamp.
But that plan was placed on hold when fears grew over the long-term future of the pub.
Coastal experts had expressed fears that the Grotto, which is perched on the seafront at South Shields, could be the victim of coastal erosion - just as the nearby Marsden Rock had been a few years earlier.
And as the uncertainty continued, the pub remained boarded up and became a haven for youths.
Now its future has been resolved and the recruitment of staff is soon to begin.
Mark Hird, of Tavistock Leisure, the company behind the project, said: 'We are really delighted at the way things are moving along.'
September 29, 2001 Plans to restore the famous Marsden Grotto pub in South Tyneside to its former glory have suffered a three-month setback.
The businessmen behind the revamp had hoped to have the unique watering hole back in business by Christmas. But today they revealed it will be March at least before it is ready to re-open as talks with council planners take place.
The pub was bought by Durham Estates during the summer after months of lying derelict. If the plans get the go-ahead Mark Hird of Tavistock Leisure will run it.
He and Durham Estates boss Russell Foster hope to meet council chiefs in the near future to discuss their plans.
They hope to keep some of the pub as it was, like a Smugglers' Cave. There will be two bars with a nautical theme, and a seafood restaurant.
August 14, 2001 The producers of a television documentary say they have evidence that ghosts exist at Marsden Grotto on South Tyneside. A camera crew and two clairvoyants have been filming at the spooky location for a new television programme called Haunted. Ross Hemsworth, the Associate producer of the programme, says he has video footage of what he believes to be ghosts. Marsden Grotto dates back nearly 200 years. It was a pub used by fishermen, smugglers and farmers. Local legend tells of a man who sold out fellow smugglers to the excise men and was hanged in the grotto. The interest sparked by the ghost hunters could be a boost to the pub's new owners who plan to transform the run down grotto into a restaurant next year.
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Bright future for famous Grotto July 19, 2001 The famous Marsden Grotto pub has been sold to a Sunderland restaurateur and can now look forward to an exciting revival. The pub, between South Shields and Sunderland, overlooks Marsden Rock and has been empty and neglected for a year. Now Mark Hird and his father-in-law and business partner Russell Foster plan to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds putting the neglected tourist attraction back on the map. They aim to serve food all day in the downstairs bar and run a restaurant upstairs, making the most of the pub's cliffside location, which is thought to be unique in the UK. They hope to be up and running by December. The lift, which takes visitors down to the Grotto entrance, is likely to be retained. The pub closed after a row between the former tenants and owners Vaux and Pubmaster was settled out of court.
'Sickening' attack on seabirds May 24, 2001 Eighty sea birds have been shot and killed at a nesting spot at Marsden Bay near South Shields and their bodies laid out on the beach to spell the word 'death'. The RSPB believes the birds were killed with an air-rifle. Officials have condemned those responsible for the 'shocking, appalling and very sickening incident'. The bay is home to thousands of sea birds and is well known for its colony of kittiwakes. It is a criminal offence to shoot wild birds and offenders face six months in prison under powers introduced in the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
May 21, 2001 A man survived the 100 feet from a cliff top in South Shields at the weekend. Police say he was 'very, very lucky' to be alive and that a grass ledge half way down the cliff broke his fall and probably saved his life. The man, believed to be in his 30s, was airlifted to South Tyne side District General Hospital in an RAF helicopter after he fell from the cliffs next to a lift shaft which leads to the Marsden Grotto pub. He suffered head injuries and broken ribs.
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Read more:
27-02-02
New motto at the grotto
28-01-01
Grotto brings 30 new jobs
29-09-01
Marsden Grotto setback
14-08-01
Grotto ghosts 'on film'
19-07-01
Bright future for famous Grotto
24-05-01
'Sickening' attack on seabirds
21-05-01
Man survives 100ft cliff fall
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Your Marsden Grotto stories
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Have your say!
What do you remember about Marsden Grotto? Do you know any of its spooky stories? Click on the link below to write to me and share them!
Write to Sue
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