Spottee's Cave

The geology of this area of the Sunderland seafront dates back more than 200 million years to when the first famous 'cannonball' rocks began forming.

Spottee's cave is further into Roker Park by about 10 yards, about 15 feet up the ravine on the left hand side.

In the entrance was a small figure, said to be Spottee who was turned to stone by a witch he argued with and was still visible in the entrance up until the late 1970s, now covered by 'rubble' (all figures approximate) It gets its name from the stranded foreign sailor who could not speak English, and as he could not converse with the locals, he was thought by some to be a poor lunatic, and is so referred to in The Bishoprick Garland by (Sir) Cuthbert Sharp.

[1] The story (and the lyrics to the song) of Spottee appears in The Bishoprick Garland by (Sir) Cuthbert Sharp.

A recording of the song is available on YouTube click here • The Bishoprick Garland 1834 by Sharp • Spottee and his cave