Residents of South Shields are affectionately known as
Sanddancers.
The origin of this may be to do with the town being blessed with
a long, sandy beach. It may also be a reference to the Arab
community in the town which dates back to late Victorian times when
Yemeni sailors settled in the docks area and brought with them
their culture and practices.
The Sandancer caches are dedicated to those who have been born
within the borough and have gone on to become famous or have risen
to the top of their particular field.
The cache lies under the gaze of Dolly Peel (1783-1857) who
stands overlooking the Tyne. This statue was unveiled in 1987 By
Cllr Gladys Hobson and was sculptured by, local man, Billy Gofton.
(A relative of Mrs Norwegian Blue) Dolly Peel was a fishwife,
smuggler, publican, songwriter, entertainer and friend of the
town's first MP Sir Robert Ingham, Dolly Peel stowed away on a
Royal Navy ship after her husband and son were press-ganged. On
being discovered by the captain, she was put to work looking after
the sick and injured and proved to be such a good nurse that,
instead of being dumped ashore thousands of miles from home, she
was pardoned and her husband and sons released from service with
the navy and exempted from future press-ganging.
