Tillicoultry


Clackmannanshire

Clock Mill and Lade
©2022 Gazetteer for Scotland

Clock Mill and Lade

A Hillfoot village in Clackmannanshire which has grown to become a small town, Tillicoultry is situated to the north of the River Devon between Alva and Dollar. The Tillicoultry Burn which flows down through the Mill Glen to meet the Devon was the source of water power used by textile mills which processed wool including the manufacture of Tillicoultry Serge. The Clock Mill which was built by James and George Walker from Galashiels to manufacture blankets, plaids and tartan shawls.

A walk into the glen from the top of Upper Mill Street leads to panoramic views of the Forth and Devon valleys. Interesting buildings include the Provost Thomas Murray Clock Tower and 'Howff for Aged Men' (1930), the Popular Institute (1859) with its tower (1878), and the Baker's Company Jubilee Fountain (1896). Tillicoultry Parish Church dates from 1829, was the work of William Stirling (1772 - 1838) and features fine stained-glass by Douglas Strachan (1875 - 1950).

Now principally a dormitory town, it benefits from a primary school, a good range of shops, a post office, medical centre, public park, golf course, the Firpark Ski Centre (an artificial ski slope) and the Ben Cleuch Centre, which serves as a community centre and library. The Clock Mill is now a business centre, while the Sterling warehouse, for a time Britain's largest furniture store, stands on the site of the former Devonvale Paper Mill, which was established in the 1920s. Tillicoultry Quarries, now based in Tulliallan, operates Craigfoot Quarry nearby and produces aggregate at several other locations across Central Scotland with a turnover of £53.6 million (2018). Tillicoultry once had a railway station, but this closed in 1964.

In 1870, the village gave its name to a tea-growing estate in Sri Lanka.


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