John Balmbra (born c. 1811) was the owner, proprietor, manager and licensee of
Balmbra's Music Hall
Balmbra's Music Hall was an early Music Hall in the centre of Newcastle, England, in the middle of the 19th century.
In about 1848 a first floor room of the Wheatsheaf Public House at 6 Cloth Market, Newcastle, was opened and in later advertisem ...
in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to:
*Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England
*Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England
*Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
, England, to which he gave his name.
John Balmbra was born about 1811 in Alnwick,
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
. He became owner and licensee of the Wheatsheaf Public House at 6 Cloth Market, Newcastle, possibly from 1859 to 1864.
In about 1848 a first floor room of the pub was opened and in later advertisements was called "The Royal Music Saloon" (this name appears in advertisements dated 1859).
In about 1862 it appears that the room was rebuilt and the name changed to
Balmbra's Music Hall
Balmbra's Music Hall was an early Music Hall in the centre of Newcastle, England, in the middle of the 19th century.
In about 1848 a first floor room of the Wheatsheaf Public House at 6 Cloth Market, Newcastle, was opened and in later advertisem ...
. It was here that the song "
Blaydon Races
"Blaydon Races" (Roud #3511) is a Geordie folk song written in the 19th century by Geordie Ridley, in a style deriving from music hall. It is frequently sung by supporters of Newcastle United Football Club, Newcastle Falcons rugby club, and D ...
" was first performed by
George "Geordie" Ridley
George "Geordie" Ridley (1835 – 1864) was a Tyneside concert hall songwriter and performer in the middle of the 19th century. His most famous song is "Blaydon Races". He was a contemporary of Edward Corvan. He has been described by a coun ...
in 1862, The song referring to the Music Hall by name, as the starting point of the trip – ''"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."''
References
* (Booklet) The Hall That Outlived Them All by Cindy Lightburn. (Amazon)
* (Booklet) BALMBRA'S: A Nostalgic Revisit by Cindy Lightburn. (Amazon)
External links
Balmbra's – The Theatres TrustAllan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings* The Hall That Outlived Them All by Cindy Lightburn
* BALMBRA'S: A Nostalgic Revisit by Cindy Lightburn
Music hall people
People from Newcastle upon Tyne (district)
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