Alloa Tower,Clackmannanshire, formerly ancestral home of Erskine family, Earls of Mar.
Dating from the 1300s, Alloa Tower is one of the largest surviving medieval tower houses in Scotland. It was the home of the distinguished Erskine family, Earls of Mar, from the 15th century until c1800. By the late 17th century a mansion house and other buildings had been added. John, 6th Earl of Mar, made more changes, both modernising yet preserving the tower and mansion to complement an ambitious and extensive planned landscape around his home and stretching down to the River Forth. The Tower was significantly modified to include the addition of a domed Italianate staircase leading to the Great Hall. Of special interest are the original oak roof beams, medieval groin vaulting, a pit dungeon and the original internal well. The mansion was destroyed by fire in 1800, but the solidly constructed tower survived. As Earls of Mar, the Erskine family were guardians of the Stuart heirs in the 16th century and were custodians of the young Mary, Queen of Scots. The 1st Earl was Regent of Scotland and the 6th Earl was involved in the 1715 Jacobite Uprising. It was here that Mary, Queen of Scots was reconciled with Darnley and granted the 5th Lord Erskine the much-coveted earldom in 1565. The present Earl of Mar and Kellie is still hereditary keeper of Stirling Castle. Fully restored and furnished, the Tower contains a unique collection of family paintings by among others, Kneller, Raeburn and Alloa artist David Allan. Alloa Tower Building Preservation Trust restored the tower carefully to its likely appearance in 1712, by which time many of the 6th Earl's improvements had been completed. Alloa Tower opened to visitors in 1997 and is managed by the National Trust for Scotland.
Size: 5400px × 3600px
Location: Alloa Clackmannanshire Scotland GB Great Britain UK EU Europe
Photo credit: © Gus Nicoll / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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