Spottee's Cave facts for kids

Spottee's Cave is a cool cave found in a special kind of valley called a ravine. This ravine is made of limestone and magnesium rocks and is right by the sea in Roker, North East England. It's located between the city of Sunderland to the south and Whitburn to the north.

What is Spottee's Cave?

The rocks around this part of the Sunderland coast are super old! They started forming over 200 million years ago. That's when the famous 'cannonball' rocks, which look like giant stone balls, first began to appear.

For a while, Spottee's Cave was closed to visitors because people were worried it wasn't safe. But after new safety checks, it seems the cave is actually safer than they first thought! In January 2012, the cave even hosted a special event for charity, but only people who were invited could go.

People are hoping that this might lead to more events like it. Maybe the cave will even open permanently again! The local council also thought it could be a great outdoor classroom for visiting schools or a place for other special events.

This area of the seafront, including Roker itself, has a really interesting history. Because of its cool buildings and historical importance, it was made a Conservation Area in 1995. This means it's a special place that needs to be protected.

The cave is still called Spottee's Cave, even though it's been over 200 years since a local legend about "Spottee" began. Locals used to think he was like a "boggle bo" (a scary monster) for the children of Sunderland and Whitburn.

Where is Spottee's Cave?

The picture you might see online, titled "Spottee's Cave," is actually the entrance to one of the tunnels that goes up to Hylton Castle. Spottee's Cave is a bit further into Roker Park, about 10 yards away. It's about 15 feet up the ravine on the left side.

Inside the entrance of the real Spottee's Cave, there used to be a small figure. People said it was Spottee himself, who had been turned to stone by a witch he argued with. This stone figure was still visible in the entrance until the late 1970s, but now it's covered by rubble.

The Legend of Spottee

The cave gets its name from a foreign sailor who got stranded there a long time ago. He couldn't speak English, so he couldn't talk to the local people. Because of this, some people thought he was a poor, confused person. He's even mentioned in a book called The Bishoprick Garland from 1834, written by Sir Cuthbert Sharp.

The sailor earned his nickname "Spottee" because of the spotted shirt he always wore.

The full story of Spottee, along with the words to a song about him, can be found in the same book, The Bishoprick Garland by Sir Cuthbert Sharp.

Spottee Song Recording

You can even find a recording of the song about Spottee on YouTube! Click here to listen to it.

Images for kids

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  This image shows the entrance to a tunnel leading to Hylton Castle, not the actual Spottee's Cave.