Ordnance Survey large scale Scottish town plans, 1847-1895
ALEXANDRIA and BONHILL (surveyed in 1866)
Alexandria, in the parish of Bonhill in Dumbatronshire, was named after the local Member of Parliament, Lieutenant Alexander Smollet, who was born there and died in 1799 at the Battle of Alkmaar. It is situated in the Vale of Leven, on the west bank of the River Leven, and is contiguous with the village of Bonhill. The two are, to all intents and purposes, one town. In 1851 there were 3,781 inhabitants in Alexandria, and 2,327 in Bonhill. The town is surrounded by lush, scenic countryside, and is just over a mile away from Loch Lomond.
Town
Planning
The town of Alexandria began very modestly
with a single grocer's shop established in the early-eighteenth century. Soon,
through harnessing the power of the River Leven, it expanded into a small
industrial town. The street plan roughly follows the line of the river in a
north-south direction. The Bonhill bridge, which links Alexandria to Bonhill,
was built in 1836. Wilson (1857) says
of the town: 'the appearance of its own streets and buildings is modern and
pleasing'.
Being on a river,
and on the Caledonian and Dumbartonshire Junction Railway, meant Alexandria was
able to take full advantage of the industrial revolution. At the time of this
survey the town contained several printworks and bleachworks, an iron foundry,
an engraving works and a yarn works. There was also a quarry and a gasworks.
The first printworks on the River Leven was established in the late-eighteenth
century, and three printworks and four bleachfields followed over the next 30
years. The water of the River Leven was very soft, and this contributed to the
growth of the bleaching industry. Wilson (1857) describes it as 'seldom or
never muddy, as the rivers and burns from the hills fall first in to Loch
Lomond, where the mud they carry along with them subsides'. The fact that the
water level remained fairly constant also made the area attractive to
industrialists.
The parish is in the presbytery of Dumbarton
and synod of Glasgow and Ayr. Alexandria had a chapel of ease, with an
attendance of 400. Both Alexandria and Bonhill had their own Free and United
Presbyterian churches. The Bonhill Free Church had an attendance of 500,
Alexandra's congregation was 480.
According to Wilson (1857),
at this time there were two parochial schools in the area (funded by landowners
of the parish), and ten non-parochial schools. The salary of each of the
masters was around £21, with about £15 added in fees each year. Financially,
the parishioners of Bonhill were catered for by the Commercial Bank, and
several benefit societies. Alexandria also had a branch of the Clydesdale Bank.
Groome, Francis H. (ed.),
1894-5. The Ordnance Gazetteer of
Scotland; a survey of Scottish topography, statistical, biographical, and
historical, 2nd ed., (London: William Mackenzie)
Mackay, George, 2000. Scottish Place Names (New Lanark:
Lomond)
Smith, Robert, 2001. The Making of Scotland: a comprehensive
guide to the growth of its cities, towns and villages (Edinburgh:
Canongate)
Wilson, Rev. John Marius
(ed.), 1857. The Imperial Gazetteer of
Scotland or Dictionary of Scottish Topography (Edinburgh: A. Fullarton
& Co.)
Edina Website – Online
Statistical Accounts of Scotland - http://edina.ac.uk/statacc/