(''Allmhagh Mór'' in Gaelic) is a small
Burgh in
Clackmannanshire ,
Scotland , 6 miles to the east of
Stirling , on the north bank of the
River Forth . Its most notable visible landmark is the 14th century
Alloa Tower (
National Trust For Scotland ), the surviving part of the ancestral medieval residence of the Erskine family, the
Earls Of Mar . Though much altered both externally and internally, the Tower retains its original medieval wooden roof and battlements, as well as some internal features. It is one of the largest (and earliest) of Scottish
Tower Houses . The town was a
Burgh Of Barony , and at one time of considerable commercial importance. It formerly contained a large number of 17th and 18th century buildings, but these were unfortunately cleared away as 'slums' from the late 19th century on. However, Alloa does retain some historic architecture in the form of Alloa Tower, Inglewood House,
Gean House and Greenfield House.
During the 18th century, Alloa thrived as a
River Port through which the products of
Glasgow manufacture was exported to continental Europe. At that time, and until the 1950s, the main industry to the north and east of the town was coal mining, and an extensive waggonway existed to take the coal to the harbour. The Earls of Mar owned many of the coal mines, and a local mining engineer known as Robert Bald, who was unusually inventive, was instrumental in providing water power from the Gartmorn Dam to operate both the mines and other industries such as weaving. Many traces of the waggonway, and the Gartmorn Dam, can still be seen today, and although the dam is no longer used for energy production, or water supply, it is well used for fishing and leisure purposes.
The town itself was known for its
Weaving and
Glass making industries. Alloa was long associated with the
Brewing industry, with at least nine major breweries producing
Ale s. However this industry declined severely during the late 20th century.
The town has suffered poor transport links since the Stirling-Alloa- workings, laying of new track commenced in September 2006. An hourly service to Glasgow is planned, by extending the existing service from Stirling, where the trains currently terminate and spend some considerable time idle. Thus, no new trains will be required, nor any alteration to timetables south of Stirling.
Alloa Athletic F.C. are based at Recreation Park in the town.
The burgh population in a mid-19th century census was 6,440.
Notable people from the town include the footballer and commentator
Alan Hansen and the artists
Lys Hansen and
Emma Scott-Smith . The Canadian politician
George Brown was born here in 1818. The founder of Forte Holdings which later merged with Trust House to become
Trust House Forte , Lord Charles Forte, was raised in Alloa.
Alloa is served by
Iceland (supermarket) ,
Tesco ,
Morrisons and
ASDA supermarkets. The ASDA supermarket is new, and is adjacent to the site of the new railway station, currently being constructed.
Interesting places to visit near to Alloa include
Alva ,
Tillicoultry ,
Dollar ,
Rumbling Bridge ,
Culross and
Falkirk .
Alloa is currently served by three parish churches in the
Church Of Scotland , namely the North Parish Church, the West Parish Church and
St Mungo 's Parish Church (the largest of the three.) In
1978 the Very Rev Dr Peter Brodie (then minister at St Mungo's) was elected
Moderator Of The General Assembly Of The Church Of Scotland . Alloa is within the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Stirling.
In addition, the
United Free Church Of Scotland serves the town centre through the congregation at Moncrieff U.F. Church in Drysdale Street.
There are churches of other denominations in the town, including a Catholic church also named St Mungo's. There are also congregations of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses in Alloa.
The headquarters of
Action Of Churches Together In Scotland (ACTS), the ecumenical organisation linking Scotland's largest churches, is located at Inglewood House, Alloa.
