# Billy Bluelight > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Billy_Bluelight > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Billy_Bluelight.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bluelight > Source revision: 1160179217 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Sculpture of Billy Bluelight on the [Wherryman's Way](/source/Wherryman's_Way) at [Bramerton](/source/Bramerton), [Norfolk](/source/Norfolk). The [River Yare](/source/River_Yare) can be seen in background **William Cullum** (10 April 1859[1] – July 1949),[2] known as **Billy Bluelight**, was a popular English flower vendor and cult figure in [Norwich](/source/Norwich). He was well known for his races, when he would run the 20-mile stretch alongside the [steam](/source/Steam_boat) pleasure boats beside the rivers [Wensum](/source/River_Wensum) and [Yare](/source/River_Yare).[3] ## Early life This section needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Billy Bluelight" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Cullum was born in the [slums](/source/Slum) of his home city of Norwich. He never received a formal education, but he did however teach himself to read. He worked briefly at [Caley's](/source/Mackintosh's) chocolate factory and, by 1907, he was already legendary for his racing and street selling activities. ## Later life This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Billy Bluelight" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (November 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Cullum never married and lived with his mother, until her death. They lived at several addresses in the city including Oak Street, Colegate and Pykerells House at St Mary's Plain. After his mother's death around 1930 he was reported to have entered Woodlands, part of the [West Norwich Hospital](/source/West_Norwich_Hospital). By 1939, he was living at Palmer Road on the [Mile Cross Estate](/source/Mile_Cross_Estate%2C_Norwich) which was built between the wars. In his 80s, he entered the West Norwich Hospital and was later moved to St James Hospital at [Shipmeadow](/source/Shipmeadow), [Suffolk](/source/Suffolk), where he died in 1949, aged 90. Five years after his death, writer R L Potter wrote this description of him: That over-worked term 'nature's gentleman' was never better exemplified than in the gentle, unpretentious character called Billy Bluelight. It may seem astonishing that a humble little man could imprint his personality so widely on a large city, but it was so. — R L Potter ## Legacy There are several reminders of him in the Norwich area. The Crude Apache theatre company produced a play about his life, entitled *"Nature's Gentleman - The Story of Billy Bluelight"* [4] Close to the Water's Edge restaurant and bar in [Bramerton](/source/Bramerton), a life-size statue has been erected in his memory on the [Wherryman's Way](/source/Wherryman's_Way) long-distance footpath. In 1994 [Woodforde's Brewery](/source/Woodforde's_Brewery) renamed their outlet *The Freemasons Arms* in Hall Road, Norwich to *The Billy Bluelight*. Since March 2005, and after a change of ownership, the pub has now reverted to its former name.[5] ## Racing career Cullen was slight and wiry, and typically dressed in long white shorts, cricket cap, and plimsolls with medals on his chest. He would issue his challenge to pleasure boat passengers that he would beat them to their destination. Setting off, walking and running, he would be waiting to meet the boats at the next landing stage to receive acclamation and pennies of his admirers. On the return journey he would regale day-trippers with the following rhyme My name is Billy Bluelight, my age is 45, I hope to get to Carrow Bridge before the boat arrive. — Billy Bluelight ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** *1939 England and Wales Register* 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [Biography](http://www.crudeapache.co.uk/billy.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080509075507/http://www.crudeapache.co.uk/billy.html) May 9, 2008, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) retrieved August 4, 2008 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Natures Gentleman- The Story of Billy Bluelight](http://www.crudeapache.co.uk/playsmain1.html#Natures%20Gentleman-the%20story%20of%20Billy%20Bluelight) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20080514212913/http://www.crudeapache.co.uk/playsmain1.html#Natures%20Gentleman-the%20story%20of%20Billy%20Bluelight) May 14, 2008, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) Retrieved August 4, 2008 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [The Billy Bluelight public house](http://www.norfolkpubs.co.uk/norwich/bnorwich/ncbil.htm) Retrieved August 5, 2008 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Billy Bluelight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bluelight) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bluelight?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.