Canny Old Blaydon

To watch a slideshow of photographs of old Blaydon and listen to Roly singing the song, click here.

Old Blaydon once had a nice town square

But sad to say its no longer there

No Church Street, Tyne Street, nor Wesley Place

As for all of the old shops there's now no trace

I remember the Co-op, people milling around

But this nice old building was razed to the ground

Loved by the people who called it 'The Store'

All gone now and we'll see it no more

Jack Percy's for bikes, for models and toys

Bees to the honey for us small boys

Taylor's for wet fish, Tweddle for meat

Worley's the cake shop just couldn't be beat

Callers and Palmers, Walter Wilson & Co

All pulled down, they just had to go

Rogers and Lloyds Bank, Lennard's and James

All gone now but remember their names

The Empire Theatre was built to last

Though its seats would shake when the steam trains passed

The curtain went up and on goes the show

A black and white movie of days long ago

John Armstrongs, the blacksmith, Red Lion and more

Pinches and Bruntons, The Rock and Laws Store

Railway Tavern, The Douglas and Greeners for ale

All gone now so I'm telling their tale

The Tripe shop and Gallons, the old billiard hall

The pork shop and Roberts, remember them all

Ganny Arthur's, the Lime Yard, Shanleys and Todd

The Mechanics Hall where George Ridley was God

For Pellets and Murphy's and Muirs spare a thought

Billy Swan's up those stone steps inside Rifle Court

Beveridge the printers and Boyd auctioneer

All gone now what a shame they're not here

Cubies the chemist, Joe Saps for a snack

Tea Company, Woolies, they'll never come back

Sally Army and brass band on each Christmas day

While the old Venture bus slowly pulled away

Aye Blaydon once had a nice town square

But sad to say its no longer there

All modernised now, just a tale to tell

All gone now but I remember it well