One of the
largest towers in Scotland, Alloa Tower has had a chequered history. Built in the 14th
century, it was added to at various periods. A mansion was attached in the 18th
century, but when it burned down in August 1800, its replacement was located elsewhere.
The tower has a fine selection
of portraits and landscapes by David Allan, Sir Henry Raeburn, and others, and a few items
of furniture.
The lands of Alloa were
granted to the Erskines in 1363, but the tower remained the property of the family until
1988, Mary, Queen of Scots visited in 1565 and granted the family the Earldom of Mar.
Tradition
states that her infant son, Prince James (later James VI) actually died here in 1566 and
was substituted with an Erskine child. The tower was restored between 1988-96 and
transformed to the National Trust. |
