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Hardie Street, ALEXANDRIA, G83 0RX

The street is named after Keir Hardie; compare Image Part of snow-covered Ben Lomond (Image) can be seen in the background.

The street is named after George Lansbury; compare Image The present picture was taken from the junction with Image Compare the background of Image, which runs parallel to this one.

The street is named after Friedrich Engels, continuing a political theme that is evident in other street-names nearby: for example, the picture was taken from the junction with Image, and, not far ahead, the street is crossed by Image It ends at Burns Street, which is adjacent and parallel to the railway line at the eastern edge of Levenvale: see Image, which shows Burns Street.

As noted in Image, most of the streets in Levenvale are named after political figures. Not far ahead, on the right, is the junction with Image (Keir Hardie); beyond that, the street ends where it meets Image (George Lansbury). See Image for another example. The reference in the name Muir Street is less obvious, but, according to http://www.valeofleven.org.uk/scottishplacenames/Mvale_names2.html (Vale of Leven website) it commemorates Thomas Muir of Huntershill; see that link for details.

This road is the western entrance into the Levenvale area. Levenvale and Tullichewan (an area of housing on the other side of Luss Road) together make up much of this grid square, so I have included several representative views (compare Image). Apart from a few exceptions like Lomond Road and Lomond Drive (shown here), Argyll/Argyle Avenue (named after Image), and Burns Street, all of which are on the edges of Levenvale, many of the streets in this area are named after political figures: see Image for several examples.

The photograph was taken from a Image; its shadow is in the right foreground. Burns Street, which forms the eastern edge of Levenvale, is to the left of the line. The dog-walker is passing Wilkie Place, a block that is set back slightly from Burns street. Not far beyond this point, after passing Levenvale, the railway line now terminates at Balloch Station, although it used to go further. [It used to go as far as Balloch Pier Station (now gone), beside Loch Lomond. The present-day Balloch Station building did not then exist; the Balloch Central Station of that day now serves as Image, and the level crossing that was next to it has also been removed.] The area visible to the right of the line is Fishers Wood; on that side, the footbridge leads to the northern end of Rosshead. See Image for a view of it from the other side.

Until 1986 the service would have continued the short distance to Balloch Pier station via Balloch Central. Balloch Pier station was closed since the connecting steamer service on Loch Lomond had ceased to run in 1981. The line was cut back to Balloch Central, then in 1988 a replacement station - the current Balloch station - was built due South of the central station to avoid having to cross the main road and allow the closure of the level crossing. The original Balloch Central station building is now a Tourist Information Centre.