25.9.10
18.9.10
JINGLING GEORDIE!
Newcastle City Library
Charles Avison Building
33 New Bridge Street West
Newcastle upon Tyne.
Saturday 6 November Room 8, Level 6 (Local Studies).
4pm The Jingling Geordie
Dr Keith Armstrong gives a lively reading of his Newcastle poems.
It’s free, but booking is advisable. Book this session in advance by phoning 0191 2774100, emailing information@newcastle.gov.uk, or just ask a member of staff at City Library.
17.9.10
13.9.10
11.9.10
keith armstrong & gary miller are returning to the hotel de doelen in groningen soon
GROTE MARKT
Grote Markt,
big as my heart,
your stones are wet
with all the kisses of my life.
Wide with welcome,
you open up the skies for me,
your face changes with the clouds.
Your winning charm
can sell me anything.
I embrace your openness,
your outstretched body
bears me fruit
and the raw fish
of morning,
sunshine memories
and the delicate touch
of the moon.
Dance with me,
there is light
in all your puddles
of yearning.
Smile,
all the blood
is washed
away.
KEITH ARMSTRONG
http://garymillersongs.com/projects.php
THE GRAND RESIDENCY
GRAND HOTEL ARTISTS' RESIDENCY
GRAND TIMES - A NEW PUBLICATION
Featuring Keith Armstrong’s sequence of poems inspired by the recent artists' residency.
I have written
A Grand poem
On the Long Sands
For visitors to read
From their windows.
THE GRAND HOTEL, TYNEMOUTH
Owned by the Duke of Northumberland, and initially built as a summer residence in 1872 for the Duchess, it was converted to an hotel in 1877. Built by Thomas Moor of Sunderland for £10,000, throughout its chequered past the Grand Hotel has always been regarded as the most luxurious hotel in the area, with one of its main attractions being the opulent sweeping Victorian staircase. The hotel has survived to put Tynemouth well and truly on the map, attracting tourists from all over the world keen to sample the proud heritage of North East England.
LAUREL AND HARDY AT THE GRAND
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy first arrived at the Grand on Thursday July 28th 1932. .
They returned to the Grand for a civic reception with the Mayor of Tynemouth on Wednesday 26th February 1947, during an appearance at the Newcastle Empire Theatre, their British theatre debut.
Ther last visit to the Grand was from Monday March 17th 1952.
STARS AT THE GRAND
In 2004, North Shields playwright Tom Hadaway (1923-2005) wrote a play ‘Actors and Orphans’ about Laurel and Hardy’s first visit to the Grand in 1932:
‘You make the beds? Honey, that makes you somebody! Believe me! A single item of bed linen can say more than the collected works of William Shakespeare.’
Apart from Laurel and Hardy, the list of the many celebrities and much loved people who have graced the Grand includes: Dame Vera Lynn, Mike and Bernie Winters, Stanley Baker, Margaret Rutherford, Tynemouth’s Conservative M.P. Dame Irene Ward, comedian Dave Allen, actors Stephen Tomkinson, Billy Hartman (Terry Woods in Emmerdale), John Middleton (Ashley Thomas, the Emmerdale vicar), Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow in Coronation Street), musician Bob Geldof and, last but not least, footballing legend Sir Bobby Robson.
For the love of Sir Bobby
we will drink in the sea
For the love of Sir Bobby
we will dance with our kids
For the love of Sir Bobby
we will rise again
(Keith Armstrong)
IN LOVING MEMORY OF SIR BOBBY ROBSON (1933-2009)
FREE COPIES OF THE BOOK FROM NIGEL HASTIE, MANAGER, GRAND HOTEL TEL. 0191 2936666 OR KEITH ARMSTRONG & PETER DIXON TEL. 0191 2529531
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
the jingling geordie
- keith armstrong
- whitley bay, tyne and wear, United Kingdom
- poet and raconteur
