employed just under 1,500 miners. The railway line itself became the first nationalised passenger line on 1 January 1947. Passenger service was officially withdrawn on 14 November 1953, but trains ran until 23 November. Marsden boasts two well-known pubs, the Marsden Grotto and the Marsden Inn. The Inn is located on Marsden Lane while the Grotto is hewn in the cliffs facing Marsden Rock. There are a few shops including a reptile shop and several post offices up towards Cleadon Hills. Marsden Lane is the main street leading up to Lizard Lane, Marsden Lane begins at the bottom of Horsley Hill Square before stretching up. References 3 Marsden Village [http://www.marsdenbannergroup.btck.co.uk www.marsdenbannergroup.btck.co.uk External links Whitburn Colliery Marsden Colliery Whitburn Colliery @ the Durham National Mining museum Souter Lighthouse at The National Trust The Lost Village BBC Online: Marsden, the village that vanished Suburbs of South Shields Populated coastal places in Tyne and Wear