Visit Alloa Places

Welcome to Visit Alloa Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Alloa

  

Alloa Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Alloa

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Alloa history

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Alloa grew up under the protection of Alloa Tower which may have been built before 1300 AD. The name of the town has had different spelling at different periods. Dr Jamieson stated that the most probable etymology of the name was from Aull Waeg – the way to the sea.

14th century

Sir Robert Erskine was granted the lands of Alloa and its environs in 1368 for services to King David II. He and his descendants were good stewards, developing the estates and innovating.

17th century

One of the earliest maps of the area was made by surveyor and cartographer John Adair in 1681. The area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

18th century

John Erskine, the 6th Earl of Mar oversaw many far-reaching developments including substantial harbour improvements, a customs house, a “New Town” area of housing, and commissioning the building of the Gartmorn Dam. Alloa became one of Scotland’s premier brewing centres.

19th century

In 1813 the first steamboat started to operate out of Alloa harbour. In 1822 water was brought into the town and in 1828 a gas works was built. The Alloa Swing Bridge was opened to the public on 1 October 1885.

20th century

Alloa thrived as a river port through which the products of Glasgow manufacture were exported to continental Europe. At that time, the main industry to the north and east of the town was coal mining.

Alloa landmarks

Alloa’s most famous landmark is the 15th century Alloa Tower, the surviving part of the ancestral medieval residence of the Erskine family, the Earls of Mar. The town formerly contained a large number of 17th and 18th century buildings, but many were cleared with the expansion of milling operations and later with slum clearance in the 20th century.

You can visit Alloa places with Walkfo Alloa to hear history at Alloa’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Alloa has 27 places to visit in our interactive Alloa map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Alloa, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Alloa places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Alloa & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 27 audio facts unique to Alloa places in an interactive Alloa map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Alloa Places Map
27 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Alloa historic spots	Alloa tourist destinations	Alloa plaques	Alloa geographic features
Walkfo Alloa tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Alloa

  

Best Alloa places to visit

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Alloa has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Alloa’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Alloa’s information audio spots:

HM Prison Glenochil HMP Glenochil is a prison located near Tullibody, Scotland. It houses male offenders of High, Medium and Low security classifications. The prison has a design capacity of 670 prisoners.

Sauchie Tower Sauchie Tower, also known as Devon Tower, is a 15th-century tower house in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. The tower is located by the village of Fishcross, 1km (0.62 mi) north of Sauchie and 2.5 km north of Alloa. It is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Tullibody Old Kirk Tullibody Old Kirk is a ruined 12th-century church in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. It was rebuilt in the 16th century, and restored again in 1760. The roofless building is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

Upper Hirst The Upper Hirst is a coal seam in central Scotland that was mined in the 1950s through to 2002. It was mainly to supply Kincardine Power Station, and later, Longannet Power Station. Low sulfur content made it very suitable for power station use.

Gaberston Mill Gaberston Mill was a weaving and spinning mill located in Alloa, Scotland. It was founded by David Fraser Lambert (1805–56) in 1837.

Alloa Tower Alloa Tower in Alloa, Clackmannanshire, is one of the earliest, and largest, of Scottish tower houses. It was designated as a scheduled monument in 1960 and is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.

Northern Glass Cone, Alloa Glass Works The Northern Glass Cone is a 19th-century glass cone formerly used in the glass manufacturing process at Alloa Glass Works in the burgh of Alloa, the administrative centre of the central Scottish council area of Clackmannanshire. It is the only such structure to survive in Scotland.

Clackmannan Tower Clackmannan Tower is a five-storey tower house situated at the summit of King’s Seat Hill. It dates back to at least the 14th century, when it was inhabited by King David II of Scotland. David is recorded as selling it to his cousin Robert Bruce in 1359.

Visit Alloa plaques