Harbour at Alloa is on the agenda for Friends

Friends of Clackmannanshire Heritage will hear a talk about Alloa’s harbour area tonight (Wednesday).

Entitled ‘Down By The Riverside,’ it will be given in St Mungo’s RC Church Hall, Mar Street, at 7.30pm by Robert Thomson.

The natural inlet on the riverside at Alloa was probably used by ships from the 1600s onwards and by smaller boats much earlier.

The 6th Earl of Mar improved the harbour through his ambitious work on the water systems on his estate, including the development of Gartmorn Dam.

The establishment of a Customs House in 1710 gave Alloa control of shipping on the Upper Forth.

And the construction of a dry or ‘graving’ dock in 1791 and the large Wet Dock in the 1860s also helped to develop the port of Alloa, which became a busy and thriving place, with shipyards and related industries along the river frontage, until its decline in the 1940s to 1950s.

The talk will be accompanied by over two hundred images of the riverside area of Alloa, beginning in the 1600s, showing how the docks evolved and the industries developed.

He will also be bringing along old newspapers and press cuttings which people will be able to look at afterwards.

The evening will be rounded off with refreshments and a raffle.

Non-members are very welcome, but the group ask for a modest donation and hope new attendees will become a Friend.

For further information about this and future events please contact Susan Mills on 07765 053879 or via email to susan. mills127@btinternet.com