A HARRY CLASPER DAY

Another theatre experience for me today - but not at The Theatre Royal.  This time I went to The Discovery Museum - as seen in my blip shot.

I saw a production of " Hadaway Harry ".  A celebration of the life of Harry Clasper, the first North East sporting superstar.  It tells the story of how Harry, his three brothers and “Awld” Uncle Ned became the World Rowing Champions  in June 1845. When Harry and his crew took the title  from the London rowers on the Thames it caused a sensation locally and nationally.

As well as being a champion sculler Harry trained World Champion rowers and designed the rowing craft seen today at the Olympics and Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. When he died in 1857, aged 58,  130,000 people lined the streets of Newcastle to pay tribute to " the greatest rower of his generation".  The funeral procession made its way to the banks of the Tyne and then crossed the river to Dunston.  Then it made its way uphill to the churchyard of St Mary's Church in my village.  A monument was erected there to his memory and I have previously blipped it HERE.

 The production was a one man show performed by local actor Jamie Brown.  He was on stage for nearly 2 hours and in one scene he " rowed " for 8½ minutes whilst saying his lines.  He was out of breath after that - and so were the audience as we were so wrapped up in the story.  The play ended with " Harry " and the audience singing " The Blaydon Races " - a local song which was actually written for Harry. 

The Grand Hall  on the 4th floor of the Discovery Museum was the venue for the play.  This museum is housed in a lovely building which used to be the local  headquarters of The Co-operative Wholesale Society.

The play finished at 4.30pm.  Couldn't look round the Museum afterwards as it had closed at 4pm so I did a bit of shopping in town before coming home.  My journey home passed the churchyard where Harry is buried and the Wetherpoons pub in the village which opened earlier this year and is named " The Harry Clasper.  A fitting end to my " Harry Clasper " experience.

Steps today 8,055