'Twas on the ninth of Joon' - but what else do you know about the history of the Blaydon Races?

Today it features more than 4,000 athletes but the original Blaydon Race was actually for horses.

'Twas the ninth of Joon' – as the famous song goes – 1862 when the first Blaydon race was held.

The song was written by Geordie Ridley, a Victorian music hall singer, and describes the hazardous journey to the racecourse and the carnival atmosphere of the races.

The song is still a popular Tyneside anthem adopted by football fans in Newcastle and beyond.

In honour of the song the race is still held on June 9 and was brought back to life as a road race by the Blaydon Harriers in 1981 starting off with just 212 competitors tackling the 5.6 mile course between Newcastle and Blaydon.

The runners still assemble outside the Balmbras pub, in Newcastle - where the song was first performed at a testimonial for another famous Tyneside character, rower Harry Clasper.The run is started with the actual handbell mentioned in the song, which is brought out specially –under guard – from the Discovery Museum.

The atmosphere of the song was captured in a painting by William Irving in 1903, which documents a variety of local figures and eccentric characters including the famous Cushy Butterfield of Blaydon and Nanny the Maser of Scotswood.

The central character ('George the Plunger') is believed by some to represent Geordie Ridley but visually he resembles Irving's popular cartoon character 'Geordie Pitman'.

Other attractions shown in the painting include a large open carriage pulled by a team of white horses, men demonstrating acrobatics or boxing, and a sweet stall. Towards the front of the picture, 'Gull Willie ofNewburn' is being tricked by the card cheat, the 'Swalwell Cat'.

William Irving was born in Cumbria, in 1866. He moved to Tyneside with his parents as a child and later attended the Newcastle-upon-Tyne School of Art. Irving died in Jesmond in 1943.