The Blaydon Brick

To listen to the track and see a slideshow of photographs about Cowen, please click here.

From Lindisfarne the Cowens came

To Stella, by the Tyne

To somewhere safe, that was their aim

With help they'd be just fine

So with the Tempests they did stay

Then joined the Crowley Crew 

The Cowens had a wily way

Hard work would pay they knew

When Crowley left Winlaton town

Young Cowen took the lead

Men knew he wouldn't let them down

They're all a loyal breed

In business too a start he made

Investing in a mine

To make his fame and fortune bade

Here was an early sign

Now where there's coal there's clay you know

In Blaydon Burn the best

For making fire bricks to go

To customers impressed

So Cowen's Brickworks now began

As reputations grew

And at its helm was that same man

Who came from Crowley's Crew

When Joseph Cowen rich became

He moved to Stella Hall

Full circle since the Tempests fame

Those years before it all

A pillar of society

Newcastle's own MP

A model of sobriety

Sir Joseph now was he

His son was Joseph Cowen too

Another businessman 

But also radical in view

Left wing republican 

Now Garibaldi was his friend

And others of same aims

His family wealth he'd often spend

To help them fight campaigns

Young Joseph was an MP too

He won his father's seat

Poor Gladstone unsure what to do

An awkward man to beat

Joe Cowen the orator great

Sincere, of trick no need

To journalists his name had weight

'The Blaydon Brick' indeed

In Blaydon then the Cowen's range 

Of influence was wide

In many ways their social change

Brought good and civic pride

When Joe passed on an era ends

The people knew the score

So raise a toast to him my friends

The Blaydon Brick no more