Happy Blaydon Race Day

spent many a night in their back in the day work seems to be have going on for years to try and restore it back after the fire

We flew past Airmstrang’s factory, and up to the "Robin Adair",
Just gannin’ doon te the railway bridge, the ‘bus wheel flew off there.
The lasses lost their crinolines off, an’ the veils that hide their faces,
An’ a two black eyes an’ a broken nose in gan te Blaydon Races.

There's an epic painting of The Blaydon Races by William Irving. It's in the Shipley art gallery at Gateshead.

Here's a link to it, have you seen it Donnie?
https://shipleyartgallery.org.uk/whats-on/the-blaydon-races

I've been to Shipley gallery many a time, usually when it
was too wet for nearby saltwell park.

My family, all 4 grand parents, lived in Gateshead, and their
parents all lived in the area, although some of those were Irish and or Scottish.

My mam and dad moved north of the Tyne to Newcastle and I was born there.


Racing ended at Blaydon in 1916... Shipley was built shortly afterwards, a poor
substitute, or a step forward, take your pick! About 5-6 miles between
the 2 sites.


https://x.com/neheritagelib/status/1667061710346174464?s=19

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An interesting newspaper clip, it sounds as if they were tanked up and certainly enraged.
I remembered the painting as it featured in an art programme on TV many years back. It's a bit cartoony but it's merit lies in its depiction of the hustle and bustle of the day at the races back then and the variety of easily recognisable real characters.

Guy on the right with white hat is coffee Johnny.

Any kid my age who had a cough, would routinely be
called coughy Johnny for duration of infection..

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_Johnny

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He's name checked in verse 3..


The rain it poor’d aw the day an’ myed the groons quite muddy,
Coffy Johnny had a white hat on - war yelled’ "Whe stole the cuddy."
There wes spice stalls an’ munkey shows an’ aud wives selling ciders,
An’ a chep wiv a hapenny roond aboot, shootin’ "Noo, me boys, for riders."

Presumably the one riding the donkey. His facial features are particularly carefully painted.

Yeah, I think it's a reference to him stealing a horse to
prevent it running.

Remember drinking in the "CoffyJohnny" pub at the bottom of the Bigg market when I first came to Newcastle.
Think it later became the Blackie Boy", name wouldn't be allowed now.

It still has its name on the front, although it's also known as swarleys.

Was coffee Johnny's, and also the groat bar for a time.


It's in the groat market, Newcastle, which is adjacent to the bigg market.

Back in the day, and possibly still is to many, the whole area was simply known as the bigg market.

Balmbras was just across the street, but technically in the cloth market.

Either front part of Balmbara's or next door was Pumphrey's Coffee shop.

Pumphreys is at top end of cloth market just down from the old george
which is just up from balmbras...

Though someone from two centuries ago will barely recognise the Cloth Market, we're treated with a generation of buildings which came soon after. The series between the Beehive and the Cathedral are a real treat.

Course, another one of Newcastle's highly esteemed establishments is Balmbra's, not least because of its connection with Tyneside music folklore. The pub was first built in 1840 and first owned by John Balmbra, who previously presided over the Northumberland Arms at Arthurs Hill. He was also one of the towns notable Freemasons.

It was opened, and nearly always known as the Wheatsheaf Inn. It featured stabling as well as a skittle ground at the rear - effectively the ancestor of modern ten pin bowling but with wooden skittles, a lawn and much smaller balls. By the end of the 1840s he also established a music saloon upstairs, which became known as Balmbra's in later years. It was Newcastle's first proper music halland as such it received a great deal of criticism for the noise and raucous nature of this new entertainment. The Newcastle Guardian had to provide an editorial in 1849 stating they couldn't publish more critique's or offend anyone further.

Still, it was certainly popular as Balmbra continued to run it into the 1860s. Two years before he sold it on to Thomas Handford, Geordie Ridley first performed the Blaydon Races on the first floor. You'll notice he actually mentions the music hall in the first verse - "I took the bus from Balmbra's, an she was heavy laden".

After a short tenure by Handford, it was taken on by Joshua Bagnall and William Blakey and renamed the Oxford Music Hall. They specialised in variety performances with pantomimes, clowns, burlesque as well as such artists named "General Dot", "Major Mite", "Madame Pleon" and "Miss Mowbray". Sounds like a right hoot.

By the 1880s the music hall scene was hugely popular, and as a result this place suffered. It closed down, returning to sole use as a pub and the reversion of the Wheat Sheaf name. This remained until 1889 when the license was refused due to concerns of gambling and a sheer density of pubs on the market. As such, it became a billiards hall, restaurant and eventually a hotel in the late 1890s. Very soon after it was caught in a blaze which burnt the whole place down. It was reconstructed as the Carlton Hotel, but to celebrate the centenary of the Blaydon Races it again because a music hall under the name Balmbra's. Hopefully, we'll see reopening in the next few years but it's been extensively delayed.

This is the earliest mention of a drag artist performing in the North East i've found from 1865. The Great Sapphrini did the circuit for about 2 years but seemingly disappeared after 1867.

This is at Balmbra's, 3 years after Ridley wrote Blaydon Races and performed it here.

https://x.com/neheritagelib/status/1706353321890431102?s=19

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https://x.com/neheritagelib/status/1934299634064879898?s=19

Early photo of the wheatsheaf

Impressive history knowledge Donny,cap doffed. Apparently The Great Sapphrini later re emerged on the drag scene as someone called "Trackman" or something similar.Still going strong i hear.