Geordie Dialect Songs
I have a longstanding affection for our dialect songs. I was born in Blaydon and that's where my interest started as the 'Blaydon Races' Geordie anthem is the most famous of a quite amazing, immensely varied repertoire of local song in dialect. It's a tradition of which Geordies worldwide are rightly proud. I think they uniquely encapsulate our culture, humour, history, emotions and language in a delightful way. This heritage of Tyneside and Northumbrian dialect songs goes back over centuries. They range from old folk songs handed down aurally, to Victorian Music Hall. From songs from the 1950s radio program 'Wot Cheor Geordie' to recent folk idiom and pop songs.

Local History
Our local history and culture is something to be proud of. The history of my home patch, the Blaydon and Winlaton locality is, in several aspects, remarkable and it is no exaggeration to say that. I have some Blaydon area historical information on the website which I hope you might find interesting. Check out the history of the keelmen and early coal mining, Sir Ambrose Crowley III and Crowley's Crew, The Cowens, Blaydon Burn, the Lead Road, Axwell Hall, The Spike, The White City, and, last but not least, the history of the Blaydon Races.
The photograph top left is of the Andrew McKeown statue at Blaydon, situated on the riverside just opposite where the races were held (on Blaydon Island), underneath is a photo of the delightful Path Head Mill and under that, Jack Percy's very popular model shop in old Blaydon and now, sadly, long gone.