Alloa

redirect [[Template:Infobox Scotland place]]

Alloa is a small burgh in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, 6 miles to the east of Stirling, on north bank of the River Forth. Its most notable visible landmark is the Alloa Tower, the surviving part of the ancestral medieval residence of the Erskine family, the Earls of Mar. The town was a burgh of barony.

An 1861 pamphlet on "Alloa and its Environs" suggests that the name derives from Aull Waeg - the way to the sea. During the 18th century, Alloa thrived as a river port through which the produce of Glasgow manufacture was exported to Europe.

The town itself was known for its weaving and glassmaking industries. Alloa was long associated with the brewing industry, with at least nine major breweries producing ales. However this industry declined severely during the late 20th century.

The town has suffered poor transport links since the Stirling-Alloa-Dunfermline rail service was closed in 1968. However the project for reopening the [Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail link] is expected to be completed in early 2007. This also involves the construction of a new bypass road and bridge so that a major level crossing in the town can be removed in the interests of safety. As of April 2006, work is progressing well.

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 Tesco and Morrison's supermarkets, and has an ASDA under construction.

Interesting places to visit near to Alloa include Tillicoultry, Dollar, Rumbling Bridge, Culross and Falkirk.

Churches

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.

There are churches of other denominations in the town, including a Catholic church also named St Mungo's.

The headquarters of Action of Churches Together in Scotland (ACTS), the ecumenical organisation linking Scotland's largest churches, is located at Inglewood House, Alloa.

References

"Alloa and its Environs: A descriptive and Historical Sketch", Alloa Advertiser, 1861
[Scotland's Census Results Online - 2001]

External links

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