Paddling With The Ghosts Of Marsden Rock

Something a bit different for Halloween, looking at the history and ghostly tales associated with Marsden Rock & Marsden Grotto.

This is my first time editing using DaVinci Resolve after switching from Premiere Pro.

Marsden Rock is a rock in Tyne and Wear, North East England, situated in Marsden, South Shields. It is overlooked by the Marsden Grotto. The rock is a 90 feet (27 m) sea stack of Magnesian Limestone which lies approximately 300 feet (91 m) off the main cliff face. It was formerly known for its naturally-formed arch. The arch collapsed in 1996 following a winter of storms creating two separate stacks. The smaller of the two was demolished in 1997 due to safety concerns. The remaining stack is reachable on foot during low tide but is completely surrounded by water at high tide. The cliffs surrounding Marsden Rock are an important breeding ground for seabirds and colonies can often be seen on top of the rock itself, including kittiwakes, herring gulls, and razorbills.

The Marsden Grotto, locally known as The Grotto, is a gastropub located on the coast at Marsden in South Shields, Tyne & Wear, England. 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 Europe.

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. 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 drank from the tankard during one of his live Metro Radio shows, allegedly sparking off a series of supernatural 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 venue includes a large bar, the inside cave with another bar and pool room, a bistro, a heated terrace 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.

All music licensed by Artlist:

Lost Are We by Alon Peretz - https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music...

Experience Sonder by Flint - https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music...

All Hope Abandon by Alon Peretz - https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music...

Forest by the Sea by Beneath The Mountain - https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music...

Illustrations generated by ChatGPT.