Help: Vale of Leven

Subject: Vale of Leven
From: Zipster
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 08:10 AM

My exchange with MC Fat in the Dumbarton's Drum thread has set me thinking. I'm sure my gran use to sing a song about the Leven Vale but whenever I tried to think of it I'n getting the wrong reference and now can't shift my mind from it, ("...as I wander through Glenfalloch... and tomorrow night will find me in that lovely LOMOND vale")

I've done a couple of searches under Leven and Vale but no success. Is my memory playing tricks?

Any guidance much appreciated.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 08:33 AM

Sorry Zipster. Moi again. There was a song called the Braes of Bonhill too but I don't know the wurds to either which is as much use as a chocolate fireguard

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: Zipster
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 08:54 AM

Thanks MC, I'll extend my search to that as well. (Memories of building John Lawrence houses up by the golf-course as a summer job, Evan Williams and serving in the Dillichip)

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 10:17 AM

Zipster strip away the nom de plume and let thy proper name be unvieled. Anybuddy who worked at the Dulli must have been wearing barbed wire Y fronts. By the way when I'm not MC Fat I'm Jim McDonald (brother was Ian)lived in Haldane and then O'Hare before going to college and live in Sassenach land

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: nutty
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 11:17 AM

There's a broadside here in the Bodleain Library that may fit the bill ....

The beautiful maid

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: Zipster
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 11:22 AM

Och you'll not know me Jim, I'm Roger, (I think this is in the members details if only I knew where to find them)

Coincidentally I was at school with Ian Cochrane who's maw and paw owned the Dilli, well known for its seminars on world peace and macrame. I worked there when I needed money and the bar staff to hospital in-patient proportions got too low amongst the staff.

My biggest claim to fame in the Vale is that my (great) uncle Willie McKelvie ran what was the village printers, behind the police station in Alexandria.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 11:26 AM

Bugger me rigid Roger !! I used to work for Willie McKelvie when I was at school. Wrapping up and delivering his work to clients. I had some happy times there with old Bill and I think it was his cousin or even brother (another old boy who worked with him) it aint have a small world

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST,Patrish
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 11:27 AM

My Grandad was a policeman in Alexandria - Sandy Keith and my Uncle Jack worked at the torpedo factory. They used to live in King Edward Street
It brings back many happy memories
Patrish x

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: Cairistiona
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 11:52 AM

Oh the wanderlust is on me and tonight I hit the trail and the morning sun will find me in that lovely Lomond Vale and I'm hiking through Glenfalloch where -

I have forgotten the rest but this could be it.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: Cairistiona
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 11:54 AM

It's just come to me - the song is called "The Hiking Song"

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: Zipster
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 12:53 PM

Jim tell me your kidding, that would be too spooky.

He worked at one point with his brother my uncle Dick. Smoked Players no.6 all day, printed on machines that should have been in a museum.

The print shop looked like the butt 'n' ben in the "Broons", with a bit of garden in front of it?

THat would be the Plessey works Patrish, just across from Christy Park? The building looks more like a museum or soemthing, its a shopping mall or something now.

Nutty thanks for your help, it wouldn't open for me so I'll try from home on my mac.

Cairistiona thanks very much, but thats actually the tune I had in my head that won't let me "get" the one my gran used to sing.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST,ta2
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 01:30 PM

the leven runs from loch lomond south into the clyde estuary at dumbarton............alexandria is one town on its banks....famous for antartex sheepskins and the old car factory now a retail outlet

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 03:43 PM

Nutty Igot that page to open at home, what a gift, thank you so much. I'm still not sure if thats the one, but I'll show it to my mum, she'll know. Chuffed to bits by that though.

She'll be chuffed to hear about you too Jim, take care now

Roger

Subject: Add:Vale of Leven
From: MMario
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 03:54 PM

THE BEAUTIFUL MAID OF THE VALLEY OF LEVON
air=Afton Water

In yon lovely valley, where Leven flows clear,
The lives a fair maid, and that maid I love dear
Oh her heart is mine, and mine I have given
To the beautiful maid of the valley of Leven.

No bird sings more sweet in the air, wood, or glen,
And her brow is as white as the snow on the Ben;
Tho' careless, yet comely her silken locks hing,
As dark and as glossy's the wild raven's wing.

Her red lips apardt, whitest pearls disclose,
And her cheeks blend the lily and ? bloomin rose;
In her nature she's gentle, she's mild as the dove
And her eye ever beams with one sunshine of love.

Other wooers with art may strive to entwine
Her heart, but she's faithful, and that heart is mine;
Oh her heart is mine, and mine I have given
To the beautiful maid of the valley of Leven.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: nutty
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 04:07 PM

That phrase could be "fresh blooming rose"

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: MMario
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 04:09 PM

it would fit. I couldn't make head nor tails of whatever is in that particular spot.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 10:38 PM

Thansk Mmario/Nutty, I'll definitely be trying to learn this one. Hope MC Fat sees it too, him being a Vale man and all.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: Sorcha
Date: 05 Feb 02 - 10:59 PM

This Hiking Song? No mention of Leven in it.......how many songs are we talking about here?

Good on ya, Mario!!

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: nutty
Date: 06 Feb 02 - 04:20 AM

The following information about the song is from the Bodleian.........

Printer: The Poet's box (Glasgow)
Date: [1854?]
Imprint: Printed by the Poet's Royal Yankee Press, at No. [6 St. Andrew's lane, Glasgow]... Saturday morning, March 4, 185[4?]

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 06 Feb 02 - 04:24 AM

Sorry I only use this service on the work's machines (the auld cyber skiving). Zipster it is spooky I remember the print shop and it should have been put in a museum it was that old. Your Uncle Dick talked about the war smoked like trooper with Bill. I also remember that Dick said he played the concertina !! There was indeed a little garden at the front. The Plessy factory was first of all built as the the Argyle Motor Works to produce cars which were described as the Rolls Royce of Scotland except building the factory sent them bust it then did become the Torpedo Factory there are some photo's on the web it's a wonderful ornate frontage. Got the wurds will try and learn it and sing with a box of hankies in front.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: Cairistiona
Date: 06 Feb 02 - 06:58 AM

Sorcha - I know The Hiking Song does not mention Leven -it was originally the word Lomond that sparked that information.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: Zipster
Date: 06 Feb 02 - 07:01 AM

Had a blether with my mum. She can remember a couple of Vale songs, so I'll get these onto the site. I didnt' know Dick played accordian, but she obvioulsy remembers it well. The only McDonalds she could place were in Smollet St, and the only guy she could remember working with Willie was a guy called TOmmy Smith, though I think he was maybe an apprentice rather than doing running and stuff. When are we talking about Jim?

Sorcha, we were looking for one song (though from what my mum says maybe two) I'll get at least some of the lyrics as a prompt.

The Hiking song is the song that was "blocking" these others.

I don't know where your based Sorcha, but the Vale of Leven, 15-20 miles from Glasgow, is quite an interesting area,in that it was a series of small villages based along the river and know for its natural beauty, leading to banks of Loch Lomond. Housing policy in Glasgow in the sixties lead to the boom in house building,to accomodate what was called Glasgow over-spill, rapidly transforming what was still recognisably rural villages inthe sixties through to satellite towns of Glasgow.

I'll re-post once I've got some lyrics.

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 06 Feb 02 - 07:23 AM

Roger, I was born in 1954 so I'd be working for Willie in 1970ish. I know it was like in my last few years at the Vale Academy. I think we may have had some relatives in Smollett Street but not sure . My dad was called Alec and was a baker in Dumbarton , he had brothers Norrie & James and sisters Rose and Margaret. Only Rose is left alive and lives in Levenvale

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: GUEST
Date: 06 Feb 02 - 05:55 PM

Just a boy Jim. I was probably around about that time getting paper hats made for me (they were big on making paperhats for kids). Yes happy days though I think to an extent now we both got the best out of it. It wasn't looking too bonny the last time I was through.

I'll re-post with lyrics when my mum comes up with them. I've enjoyed sharing memories. I didn't even know Dick played accordian, my mum says he was rarely without it.

Aye

Roger

Subject: RE: Help: Vale of Leven
From: MC Fat
Date: 07 Feb 02 - 08:06 AM

Roger, I think you're right about we saw the best of it and I don't want to go down the route of rose tinted glasses but the Loch was and is beautiful. I remember I had a mate who had a boat and in the auld days of 10 o'clock closing we used to shoot up the Loch to the Inchmurrin Hotel on the island and it never closed !!!!