The Two Towers
the two towers
Picture Britain: The Two Towers
The Clackmannanshire Tower Trail is a grueling but fascinating climb through history, linking together four towers and a manor house which once formed a line of fortifications stretching across the county. I'll highlight two of these towers for you—information, beautiful photos and all—to give you a taste of what this little excursion has to offer. This is said to be "the largest, oldest keep in Scotland," and has survived the centuries remarkably intact; you can still see the medieval oak-beamed roof, the original pit dungeon, groin vaulting, and an internal well. It is the ancestral home of the Erskines, Earls of Mar, who were instrumental in the courts of the Stuart kings and queens. This prestigious family acted as guardians and caretakers of several young monarchs: Mary, Queen of Scots, and Jameses VI and I.Dell GX280 Tower Computer (2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 Processor, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD Optical Drive, Windows XP Professional)
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For the home of a family which was so embroiled in politics and even rebellion, I find it amazing that Alloa Tower was not razed to the ground more than once. The accompanying mansion house actually was burned down in 1800, but supposedly "the townsfolk of Alloa saved the tower by building a barricade with turf from the lawn." Those humble villagers probably preserved one of the loveliest, oldest interiors in Scotland, which after many changes over the years was restored to look the way it might have in 1712. Today you can tour the Alloa Tower and appreciate all its medieval elements for yourself, as well as learn a fair amount of history from the portraits of generations of Erskines which adorn the walls.
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From Alloa Tower we will follow Engelen Drive, turn left, meander through the woods, go up Kirk Wynd to The Cross, and go up the High Street hill until we reach our destination: Clackmannan Tower. Rarely open to visitors, this tower house is perched on the summit of a long ridge which runs over the forgotten little town of Clackmannan, and looks as if it's still trying to look the part of the local castle.
I've done a little research on this tower's origins and it seems as though there's some mystery concerning the relation of its first owner, Robert Bruce (not the Bruce), to the monarch who granted the property to him, King David II. A couple websites call the king Bruce's "kinsman" or "relative", another says "cousin", and then another comes out and says "illegitimate son"! It's hard to tell who to trust, but the base fact seems to be that David and Robert were close enough for the former to grant land to the latter in 1360. The tower that stands today was an expansion of a comparatively short 14th century tower, and today it boasts five storeys of unyielding golden stone, crenellated parapets, and holes for dumping deterrents on the heads of invading armies (or snooping tourists). It is in the guardianship of Historic Scotland, which is working to restore the structure after mining subsistence compromised it back in the 1940s. While you might not be able to go inside right now, you can still marvel at the imposing exterior: mysterious, ancient, a remnant of times long past.
www.clacksweb.org.uk/visiting/alloatower/ www.clacksweb.org.
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