Where was the Alley-Alley-O?

We sang "down" the alley-alley-o.
Near Urmstongran

Sorry Spatkle - I went away for ages and see you have posted this.

Too many answers.
I used to think it wax the Suez canal.

www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-18017,00.html

We sang ‘on’. I was brought up in Manchester and went to a primary school in Old Trafford, a stone’s throw from the Ship Canal.

Terribull sweet playground memory there. 😊

I grew up in London,all the kids knew it. I assumed it was the Thames but clearly not.

I have sung that to all 3 grandchildren. We used to do lots of actions with it. I learnt the “on” version (Kent)

The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea,
The bottom of the sea,
The bottom of the sea.
The big ship sank to the bottom of the sea,
On the last day of September.

We all dip our hands in the deep blue sea
The deep blue sea, the deep blue sea
We all dip our hands in the deep blue sea
On the last day of September.

We sang on as well - Midlands.

I thought it was an ocean.

We sang 'on' too I was in Kent!

Septimia

I grew up in Surrey as well. We always sang "The Big Ship sails on the Alley-Alley-O" rather than through - regional variation or reference to the Atlantic Ocean?

Yes, we sang "on" too.
Whereabouts in Surrey? I was in Guildford.

I grew up in Surrey as well. We always sang "The Big Ship sails on the Alley-Alley-O" rather than through - regional variation or reference to the Atlantic Ocean?

Yes definitely remember that from my earliest first days at school. In fact it was a life saver, before friendship groups were formed there were quite a few of us not quite 5 year old girls, not the boys, rather lost in the playground. Thankfully there was always a "Big Ship Sails on the Alley-Alley-O" going on willing to draw in the little'uns.

Also grew up in Surrey and had no idea of where it derived from, but interesting!

Lizbethann

Thanks Sparklefizz. I didn't know of the connections to the ship canal which doesn't put me in a very good light as I live very close to it and my late FiL was a foreman on the Salford docks.

I grew up in Surrey so nowhere near any of the suggestions mentioned in the Guardian article.

ORIGIN

There is a bit of mystery behind the origin of the 'The Big Ship Sails'...

However it is thought that the tradional nursery rhyme has strong links to 'The Manchester Ship canal' and the Atlantic ocean.

It is also thought that that the rhyme was sung when the Manchester canal was opened in 1894 with the lyrics 'Ally Ally' referring to the canal passage.

I remember singing this as a child. I googled and got dozens of different explanations:

www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-18017,00.html