Walk along Stowell Street in Newcastle upon Tyne and turn into St Andrew’s Street, and you might notice a plaque on the wall. It marks the site of the house where Tyneside bard Joe Wilson was born – though it’s unclear how many people know who Joe Wilson is. There was a resurgence of interest […]
Folklore
The Blaydon Races: The Story Behind the Tyneside Anthem and Sporting Event
Inhabitants of the Tyneside region are undoubtedly familiar with the 19th-century song, ‘The Blaydon Races’. It describes a journey from Newcastle’s city centre to Blaydon to see the races, and even became immortalised in art. The song is traditionally sung in the local Geordie dialect. Over time, some of the language has softened to make […]
Boost your New Year with Twelfth Night folklore!
The presents have long been opened. No one can find anything decent to watch on TV. It feels weird to still say ‘Merry Christmas’ so we’ve all switched to saying ‘Happy New Year’ instead. But no matter! We still have Twelfth Night to celebrate! I know, I know, it’s not exactly the most popular of […]
Newcastle Disasters: Fire, Flood, and Plague
Newcastle upon Tyne is famous for many things: its bridges, nightlife, and being the birthplace of Greggs are just some of them. We’ve seen plenty of world firsts here, been on the frontline of science and technology, witnessed ethical consumption in the 18th century, and turned a Roman settlement into a city. But our disasters […]
What is First-footing and Can It Improve Your Year?
A cursory Google search of ‘first-footing’ will throw up plenty of hits. This year, I’ve seen more people posting about it on Instagram. But ask people on the street and they’ve never heard of the tradition. First-footing as a New Year custom is most common in Scotland, Ireland, and the north of England, but it […]
Legends of New York’s Islands: Buried Treasure and Typhoid Mary
New York City conjures up images of a neon-drenched Times Square, skyscrapers gleaming in the sun, and the labyrinthine subway system. Yet the city also boasts three main rivers; the Hudson to the west, the East River to the east (unsurprisingly), and the Harlem to the north. Where we find rivers, we can find islands. […]
