Marsden Rock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Marsden Rock |
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In 1969, from the south
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 Location in Northern England
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| Location | Tyne and Wear, North East England |
| Coordinates | 54°58′39″N 1°22′31″W / 54.97743°N 1.37530°W |
Marsden Rock is a famous rock formation located in Marsden, near South Shields in Tyne and Wear, North East England. It's a cool place to visit, owned by the National Trust. You can often walk right up to it when the tide is low. But be careful! When the tide comes in, the rock gets completely surrounded by water. To reach the beach nearby, you'll find 130 steps leading down from the Marsden Grotto.
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What is Marsden Rock?
Marsden Rock is a tall, pillar-shaped rock that stands alone in the sea. It's called a sea stack. This stack is about 100 feet (30 meters) high. It's made of special rocks called periclase and Magnesian Limestone. The rock stands about 100 yards (90 meters) away from the main cliffs.
A Look Back in Time
Long ago, in 1803, people built steps right up the side of Marsden Rock. Imagine climbing those! Later, in 1903, something amazing happened. Several choirs climbed onto the rock to sing together. It must have sounded incredible over the waves. A group of trainee clowns from Marsden Quarry even put on a juggling show there!
How Marsden Rock Changed
Marsden Rock hasn't always looked the same. In 1911, a big part of the rock fell into the sea. This left a huge arch in the middle of the rock. Waves and weather kept wearing away at the rock over many years.
Then, in 1996, the arch finally collapsed. This split Marsden Rock into two separate stacks. Before this, the rock was so famous it appeared on many local postcards and photographs. In 1997, the smaller of the two new stacks was thought to be unsafe. For public safety, it was carefully taken down.
Home to Seabirds
Marsden Rock is a very important home for thousands of seabirds. It's like a giant apartment building for them! You can see many different kinds of birds here.
Some of the birds that live on the rock include:
- black-legged kittiwakes
- fulmars
- Different types of gulls
- cormorants
It's a busy and noisy place, especially during nesting season!
Images for kids
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Marsden Rock in 1990. The arch was formed by erosion of the limestone rock by waves and weather.
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Marsden Rock (left) was once part of the main cliff, but became separated over time due to the erosion of less-resistant stone.
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A group of seabirds, mainly cormorants, sitting on top of Marsden Rock.
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Early 20th-century postcard of South Shields with Marsden Rock vignette at centre, one of many publications featuring the rock
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Picture taken in 2006 of a smaller arch which has been carved out of the remaining magnesian limestone stack.
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Marsden Rock in 2011, 14 years after the collapse of the arch and subsequent demolition of the smaller stack.
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A wood engraving of Marsden Rock by Thomas Bewick, created in 1798 and published in A History of British Birds (1804).
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A wood engraving of Marsden Rock by John Jackson, created between 1816 and 1848.
