thumb|200px|The [[Lot's wife sea-stack, Marsden Bay, in N.E.England.]]
Marsden, historically Marsdon, is located on the outskirts of the seaside town South Shields, North East England, located on the North Sea coast. It lies within historic County Durham.
Background
Marsden was originally a small village, consisting of farms, a few cottages and a lighthouse at Souter Point. Local industry consisted of a small limestone quarry.
The company built the twin-track South Shields, Marsden, and Whitburn Colliery Railway, leaving the North Eastern Railway line at , South Shields and travelling to Marsden via two intermediate stations.
Marsden village
thumb|left|Marsden Grotto at the foot of the cliff (accessed via the lift tower).
The industrial development of the area required additional workers. The company built a new Marsden village, located between the Lighthouse Quarries and Whitburn Colliery. Designed to house more than 700 people, there were 135 houses across nine streets, a church and Methodist chapel, Co-op store, Post Office, school, and a Miners Institute. Located directly on the cliff top, resulting in an exposed and often weather-beaten experience, many wives refused to move to the village, meaning that most miners lived in South Shields and commuted daily using the newly constructed railway.