Most of us will know the opening lines: "I went to Blaydon Races, ‘twas on the ninth of June/ In eighteen hundred and sixty two, on a summer’s afternoon/ I took the ‘bus from Balmbra’s, and she was heavy-laden/ Away we went along Collingwood Street, that’s on the road to Blaydon."
All of which adds up to the ninth of June, 2022, being the 160th anniversary of the events portrayed in the renowned Tyneside anthem, The Blaydon Races. Many of us will have belted it out at one time or another, especially while cheering on Newcastle United at St James' Park.
But what of the song's origins? It was written by the Victorian-era, Gateshead -born music hall performer Geordie Ridley. Its rousing verses and chorus immortalise an eventful coach journey from Newcastle to an annual horse race on the other side of the River Tyne.
