Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alexandria
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 Smollett Fountain, Alexandria |
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 Alexandria
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| Population | 6,710 (2020) |
| OS grid reference | NS3980 |
| Council area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ALEXANDRIA |
| Postcode district | G83 |
| Dialling code | 01389 |
| Police | Strathclyde |
| Fire | Strathclyde |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | |
| Scottish Parliament | |
Alexandria (also known as Scots: The Vale) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland. This town is located on the River Leven. It is about 3 kilometers north of Dumbarton and 24 kilometers north-west of Glasgow.
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People in Alexandria
In 2016, about 6,860 people lived in Alexandria. It is one of five towns in an area called the Vale of Leven. The other towns are Balloch, Bonhill, Jamestown and Renton. If you add up all the people in these towns, the total is over 20,000.
What Alexandria is Known For
Alexandria used to have many factories. They made things like cotton, and they also did bleaching and printing. These old industries have now closed down.
In the 1970s, the town centre of Alexandria was rebuilt. It got a new layout and a different traffic system.
Important Places to See
- Christie Park is a local park where people can relax.
- The Smollett Fountain is a special fountain in the town centre. It is a very old and important building, listed as a Category B building in Scotland.
- Lomond Galleries is a shopping mall on North Main Street. This building has a cool dome and a grand marble entrance with a staircase. It was first built in 1906 as the Argyll Motor Works for a car company called Argyll Motors Ltd. You can even see a carving of one of their cars above the entrance!
History of Lomond Galleries
After the car factory closed in 1914, the building was used by the British Admiralty to make torpedoes. These torpedoes were tested in Loch Long. In the early 1970s, there was a famous protest called the Plessey sit-in at this building. Today, it is a shopping mall, but it still has many of its amazing original features.
Jobs in Alexandria
Some big companies used to have factories in the Leven Industrial Estate. These included Westclox and Polaroid. Another company called Aggreko had a large factory there from 2000 to 2010. The Ballantine's whisky distillery still operates in the area today.
Getting Around Alexandria
Alexandria is located on the old A82 main road. This road connects Glasgow to Loch Lomond. There are regular bus services that run along this route.
The town also has its own railway station. You can catch a train from here to Balloch or to Glasgow Queen Street.
Alexandria is thought to be the only town in the UK that has a railway station, a carnival (sometimes a travelling fair sets up in the car park), and a pub right in the middle of a roundabout! The uncle of a famous writer named A. J. Cronin used to own a pub on Bridge Street. The Alexandria Library is on Gilmour Street.
Sports in Alexandria
Vale of Leven Football Club
The town is home to the Vale of Leven football club. They play their games at Millburn Park. This club was very strong in the early days of Scottish football. They won the Scottish Cup three times in a row: in 1877, 1878, and 1879. They were also one of the first teams to join the Scottish Football League.
Gordon Reid, Tennis Star
Gordon Reid, who was born in Alexandria, is a very successful wheelchair tennis player. He has won the Men's Wheelchair Doubles at Wimbledon three times with his partner Alfie Hewett.
ROC Bunker
Between 1961 and 1991, Alexandria had a secret bunker called a Royal Observer Corps Master bunker. This bunker was built to be used if there was a nuclear attack. Most of it is still there today.
Famous People from Alexandria
- Stuart David, a writer and musician from the band Belle and Sebastian
- Zander Diamond, a Scottish professional footballer
- John Miller "Ian" McColl, a Scottish footballer and manager of the Scotland national team
- Morgan McMichaels, a Scottish-American drag queen and TV personality
- Dawn O'Porter, a British writer, director, and television presenter
- Bobby Kerr, a Scottish professional footballer who was captain of Sunderland A.F.C.'s team that won the FA Cup in 1973
See also
In Spanish: Alexandria (West Dunbartonshire) para niños
