Leven Bridge

Scottish Country Dance Instruction

LEVEN BRIDGE (R4x32) 4C Set J Trevor Stephenson The Ayton Collection

1- 8 1L also 4M followed by partners cast in 1 place and cross to opposite side (2s and 3s step down/up 3-4); 1L+4M stay facing out. 1s+4s dance LH across
9-12 2s+1s also 4s+3s dance RH across to finish on side, 2s+4s facing down, 1s+3s facing up. 2(1)(4)3
13-16 2s set to 1s also 4s set to 3s on sides, change places RH to finish 1s+3s facing down, 2s+4s facing up
17-24 Reels of 4 on sides. (1)23(4)
25-28 All set, 1s+2s also 3s+4s dance ½ RH across to finish in centre, 1s+4s retain RH hold while 2s/3s face Ladies'/Men's side
29-32 2M also 3L followed by partners cast down/up to 4th and 1st places and cross to own sides while 1s+4s turn RH to own sides. 3142

(MINICRIB. Dance crib compiled by Charles Upton, Deeside Caledonian Society, and his successors)

Dance Information

Bearing in mind that this dance appeared in the Ayton Collection, it is probably a fair bet that the Leven Bridge referred to in the title is one of the bridges over the River Leven, which runs through Great Ayton, North Yorkshire, England.

Great Ayton Bridge, Ayton's road bridge over the River Leven was constructed in 1909, replacing an earlier humpbacked bridge.

In 2022, a new footbridge replaced the original 1919 footbridge over the River Leven into Waterfall Park, located just downstream of the road bridge. The original footbridge was presented in 1919 by Mr. George Whitbread, the Under-Manager of the Ayton Ironstone Mines, and was erected by the miners themselves as a war memorial. It commemorated five of their fellow workers who lost their lives during World War One: Private Lawrence Johnson, Private Ernest Pearson, Robert Theobald, Private Arthur Wilks, and Private Charles Wildman.

A new memorial panel was installed, depicting images from the conflict as well as Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook's monument. The original bronze commemorative plaque, listing the names of those who gave their lives for their country, stands next to the bridge entrance. It is mounted on a length of railway line from the ironstone mine.

There are also a number of other road and footbridges over the River Leven in Great Ayton.

The River Leven in North Yorkshire, England is a tributary of the River Tees. It rises on Warren Moor, part of Kildale Moor, in the North York Moors and flows to the north of the moors to join the River Tees at Yarm.

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Text from this original River Leven North Yorkshire article on Wikipedia.

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