Alloa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alloa
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 Alloa from Clackmannan Tower with Ben Ledi and Wallace Monument in the distance |
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 Alloa
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| Area | 3.52 sq mi (9.1 km2) |
| Population | 14,440 (2020) |
| • Density | 4,102/sq mi (1,584/km2) |
| OS grid reference | NS900920 |
| Council area | |
| Lieutenancy area | |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ALLOA |
| Postcode district | FK10 |
| Dialling code | 01259 |
| Police | Central Scotland |
| Fire | Central Scotland |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament |
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| Scottish Parliament | |
Alloa is a town in Clackmannanshire, a county in the middle of Scotland. It sits on the north side of the River Forth, where the river starts to widen into the Firth of Forth. Alloa is located south of the Ochil Hills. It is about 6 miles (10 km) east of Stirling and 13 miles (21 km) west of Dunfermline.
Alloa is the main town and administrative center for the Clackmannanshire Council. In the past, Alloa was a busy port, trading goods between Glasgow and Europe. However, the port closed in 1970. Today, Alloa's economy focuses more on shops and fun activities. Only a few of its old industries, like brewing and glassmaking, are still around. In 2016, about 20,730 people lived in Alloa.
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Contents
History of Alloa
Alloa grew around Alloa Tower, a strong building that might have been built before the year 1300. The town's name has been spelled differently over time, like Alway or Alloway. Some believe the name means "the way to the sea."
Early Times
In 1368, Sir Robert Erskine was given the lands of Alloa by King David II. His family helped develop the area and brought new ideas.
17th Century Changes
One of the first maps of the Alloa area was drawn by John Adair in 1681.
18th Century Growth
John Erskine, the 6th Earl of Mar, helped Alloa grow a lot. He improved the harbor, built a customs house, and created a "New Town" area for homes. He also ordered the building of the Gartmorn Dam, which was designed by George Sorocold. This dam provided water power for coal mines and other businesses.
Because there was good water and plenty of barley, George Younger started a brewery in the 1760s. Soon, other breweries followed, and Alloa became a major center for brewing in Scotland.
The 6th Earl of Mar had to leave the country in 1715 because he supported the Jacobite cause. However, his brother was allowed to buy back the family lands. Later generations continued to be creative. They started a glass-making factory in 1750 and built one of Scotland's earliest railways (a waggonway) around 1766. This railway moved coal from the mines in Sauchie down to the harbor.
Before 1775, coal miners in Scotland were tied to the mines where they were born, almost like slaves. After a law in 1775 changed this, miners could move freely. They were supported by the Alloa Colliers' Fund, a friendly society started in 1775.
You can still see parts of the old waggonway and the Gartmorn Dam today. The dam is now used for fishing and other fun activities. In 1797, the Clackmannanshire Library was founded in Alloa. By the end of the 18th century, a whisky distillery was also started by John Bald. The port of Alloa exported about 50,000 tons of coal each year.
19th Century Developments
In 1813, the first steamboat began operating from Alloa harbor. Later, different companies joined to form the "Stirling, Alloa and Kincardine Steamboat Company." Water was brought into the town in 1822, and a gas works was built in 1828.
In 1828, while building a road to Alloa Academy, an old burial site was found with interesting items, including two gold armlets. Alloa Academy itself was built in 1824. The Alloa Swing Bridge opened in 1885. By 1841, Alloa had a population of 5,434 people.
20th Century Changes
After the harbor improvements in the 18th century, Alloa became a busy river port. Products from Glasgow were sent through Alloa to Europe. Until the 1950s, coal mining was a very important industry north and east of the town.
Industries in Alloa
Alloa has been known for several important industries over the years.
Wool Production
Wool was easy to find in the area. In the early 1800s, John Paton started a small business spinning yarn. He later built the Kilncraigs Mill. While much of the mill is gone, a large building from 1903–1904 still stands. It was turned into council offices in 2003/2004.
Weaving and Glass Making
For many years, Alloa was also famous for its weaving (making cloth) and glassmaking industries. These continued to be important into the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Brewing Beer
Alloa has a long history with brewing beer. At one point, there were at least nine large breweries in the town. The first brewing companies were Younger in 1762 and Meiklejohn in 1784. Alloa ale was sent to London, and George Younger exported beer to places like the West Indies, Egypt, and the Far East.
Alloa was also home to Alloa Brewery Co, which created Graham's Golden Lager in 1927. This beer was later renamed Skol in the 1950s. Over time, many breweries closed or merged. By 1999, only one brewery remained, which later became Williams Bros. in 2003.
Malt Distilling
Besides brewing beer, Alloa was home to the Carsebridge Distillery. This distillery was started by John Bald in 1799 to make malt whisky. In the 1840s, it changed to make grain whisky. By the 1880s, it was very large, employing 150 people and producing a huge amount of whisky each year.
The distillery closed in 1983 and was taken down in 1992. One of its large stills (a machine used to make whisky) is now used at another distillery.
Barrel Making
Even after the Carsebridge Distillery closed, the cooperage (where barrels are made and repaired) stayed open. In 2008, about 30 people worked there, fixing up to 400 bourbon barrels each day. However, in 2009, the company decided to move the work to a new cooperage nearby in Cambus. The new Cambus cooperage opened in 2011.
Military Connections
Alloa has ties to the historic Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, a Scottish army regiment. Many soldiers from this group fought in the Second World War, including at the Second Battle of El Alamein.
Police Headquarters
Since 2014, the temporary national headquarters for Police Scotland has been located in Alloa.
Landmarks in Alloa
Alloa's most famous landmark is the 15th-century Alloa Tower. This tower is the remaining part of the old home of the Erskine family, the Earls of Mar. Even though it has been changed a lot inside and out, the Tower still has its original medieval wooden roof and battlements (the top parts of the walls). It is one of Scotland's largest and oldest tower houses.
In the past, Alloa had many old buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. However, many were removed as industries grew or during slum clearance in the 20th century. Still, Alloa has some historic buildings left, like Alloa Tower, Tobias Bauchop's House (from 1695), Inglewood House (around 1900), Gean House (1912), and Greenfield House (1892).
Carsebridge House, also known as the Doll's House, was a historic building built around 1799 for the Carsebridge Distillery. It survived the demolition of the distillery in the 1990s. However, it was badly damaged by fire in August 2024 and later removed.
Alloa Town Hall and Library was designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse and built between 1886 and 1889.
The Speirs Centre was built as Alloa's swimming pool in 1895. The Sheriff Court building dates from 1862–1865.
The Alloa War Memorial, which honors soldiers, was designed in 1920 and built in 1925.
Shopping in Alloa
Alloa has many grocery stores, including Iceland, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Morrisons, Asda, Co-op Food, and Farmfoods. The Asda supermarket, which opened in 2006, is located near the new railway station.
Transport in Alloa
For 40 years, Alloa did not have passenger train services after its railway lines closed in the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail link project was finished in May 2008. New tracks were laid starting in 2006. This project also included building a new bypass road and a bridge to replace an old level crossing.
Alloa railway station reopened in May 2008.
ScotRail now runs trains every half hour from Alloa railway station to Glasgow Queen Street. These trains stop at Stirling, Larbert, and Croy. You can also travel to Inverness, Edinburgh Waverley, and Aberdeen by changing trains at Stirling.
The new railway line officially opened to the public on May 19, 2008.
Education in Alloa
Alloa has two high schools: Lornshill Academy and Alloa Academy. It also has four primary schools: Sunnyside, Redwell, Park, and St Mungos.
The New Struan School is a special school for children with autistic spectrum disorders. There is also a OneSchool Global UK in Alloa.
Religious Sites in Alloa
Alloa has several churches. There are two Church of Scotland churches: Alloa Ludgate Church and St. Mungo's Parish Church. The current minister at St. Mungo's, Rev. Sang Y Cha, is the first Korean minister in The Church of Scotland.
The United Free Church of Scotland also has a church in Alloa called Moncrieff United Free Church.
Other churches in town include a Baptist church and St John's Episcopal Church. There are also congregations of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Catholic church, also called St Mungo's, is located on Mar Street.
There is a Musalla on Whins Road in Alloa. This is a place where Muslims can pray, worship, and learn, especially if they cannot go to a mosque. It opened to the public in 2003.
Sports in Alloa
Alloa is home to a professional football (soccer) club called Alloa Athletic Football Club. The club started in 1880. The team currently plays in the Scottish Championship. Their home games are played at Recreation Park in Alloa.
Media in Alloa
Alloa's oldest newspaper, the Alloa Advertiser, started in 1841. Another newspaper, the Alloa Journal, began in 1845. Some old film footage exists showing a woollen mill and glassworks in Alloa from 1956.
Notable People from Alloa
- David Allan, an 18th-century painter
- Robert Bald, a mining engineer
- George Brown, a Canadian politician who started The Globe and Mail newspaper
- John Crawford Buchan, who received the Victoria Cross (a bravery award)
- Robert Fyfe, an actor
- James Sligo Jameson, an explorer
- Archibald MacLaren, a gymnast and educator
- Duncan Scott (swimmer), who grew up in Alloa
- Douglas Robert Brown, a cricketer
- John Jameson, who founded Jameson Irish Whiskey
- David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, a British administrator and former Governor of Hong Kong
See Also
In Spanish: Alloa para niños
