"There were a number of Music Halls in Newcastle town centre, the earliest of which seems to have been the Old Wheatsheaf in the Cloth Market. It was a pub with a singing room and it was there in 1862 that George Ridley wrote Blaydon Races. The first performance of Ridley’s song was allegedly at a benefit for Harry Clasper, who was born in Dunstan in 1812 and was the inventor of a racing skull, which won the world championship in 1845 with his two brothers. Boat races between the High Level Bridge and Scotswood Bridge were the most popular sport in the area during the middle of the 19th century. The Old Wheatsheaf became the Oxford music Hall between 1858 and 1865. Another early palace of delights was the Victoria Rooms at the head of Grey Street, which became the Victoria Music Hall" (61).