Hole-in-the-Wall, Seaham Harbour

The Marquess of Londonderry proposed the building of a new harbour at a rocky inlet at Dalden Ness, Seaham and work began in November 1828. Previously this rocky inlet was known by the locals as "the black hole".[1] Mariners using the harbour colloquially referred to it as the "hole-in-the-wall" because it was hewn out of the actual cliffs unlike many typical harbour constructions.[2] George Head in 1836 wrote "To a stranger casually passing this little harbour, appearances certainly indicate its thriving condition; the new south dock is already open and the staithes basin is a striking picture of the economy of space....The works are interesting owing to their dissimilarity from harbours in general, which are usually formed within a bight or bay. Here a bluff headland of limestone has been scooped hollow and as the cliffs are lofty , the vessels ride with their topgallant-mast heads below the summit",[3]