“…In Newcastle, the enclosed Victoria running ground was, by the early 1860s, regularly frequented by leading figures from the emerging music-hall industry, including the entrepreneur Mr Balmbra. 14 Owners, performers, and even song-writers seem to have regularly attended race meetings. Some early performers, such as Billy Purvis, with whom the singer/songwriter Ned Corvan started his career, found they could earn extra money by performing there, whilst the singer Joe Wilson cashed in on his fame by selling alcohol from a booth at Newcastle races.…”