| Alva | |
| Scottish Gaelic: Allmhagh Beag[1] | |
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Alva
Alva shown within Clackmannanshire |
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| Area | 0.598 sq mi (1.55 km2) |
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| Population | 5,181 [2] (2001 census) 4,960 [3] (2006) |
| - Density | 8,664 /sq mi (3,345 /km2) |
| OS grid reference | NS882970 |
| Council area | Clackmannanshire |
| Lieutenancy area | Clackmannanshire |
| Country | Scotland |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | ALVA |
| Postcode district | FK12 |
| Dialling code | 01259 |
| Police | Central Scotland |
| Fire | Central Scotland |
| Ambulance | Scottish |
| EU Parliament | Scotland |
| UK Parliament | Ochil and South Perthshire |
| Scottish Parliament | Ochil |
| List of places: UK • Scotland • | |
Alva (Allamhagh in Gaelic) is a small town in Clackmannanshire, set in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It is one of a number of towns situated immediately to the south of the Ochil Hills, collectively referred to as the Hillfoots Villages or simply The Hillfoots. Alva had a resident population of 5,181 at the 2001 census but has since been revised to 4,960 in 2006.
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During the Industrial Revolution, Alva developed as a textile manufacturing centre and the woollen mills provided employment for locals and migrant workers to the area. The Mill Trail Centre, next to Cochrane Park, houses permanent exhibitions about the history of the old woollen industry and the experiences of the many people employed in the industry.
On the site of the town's post office there used to be an old weaving shed, which was rented out to William Nicholl and Son, a locally famous cabinet maker and upholster. This shed was also haunted by the sounds of looms spinning on the uninhabited first floor.
Alva lies right at the foot of the Ochil Hills. The Ochil Fault, movement of which gave rise to the steep southern scarp of the Ochils, coincides approximately with the old road along the base of the hills. The rock beneath the carse in this area is carboniferous.
The town is situated on slightly higher ground than the surrounding carse, being on two overlapping alluvial fans, made up of material deposited by the Carnaughton Glen and Alva Glen burns. The spectacular Alva Glen cuts into the Ochils immediately north of the town. Alva Burn flows from the glen, through Alva, and into the River Devon.
To the east of Alva Glen, and parallel to it, is the Silver Glen, where silver was mined at one time.[4] In the 19th century coal was mined at the Caroline Pit to the south of the town beside the River Devon, and has been mined in the higher ground to the south for a much longer period. A more recent attempt, the Glenochil Colliery, was not a success, and the site is now a prison.
Alva has many shops, three Christian places of worship: a small but growing Baptist fellowship, a well established Church of Scotland and St John Vianney Roman Catholic; a few pubs, a small library and a medical practice. There are two large parks - Johnstone Park and Cochrane Park, which contains the local hall (Cochrane Hall). Every second Saturday in July, Johnstone Park is host to the Famous Alva Games, the last highland games event in Clackmannanshire. The McArthur Braes, at the foot of Alva Glen, was once a formal park that has fallen into neglect; it is now being regenerated.
The town has both a primary school and a secondary school. Alva Academy takes pupils from several primary schools in the Hillfoots area. The school was relocated on a new campus early in 2009. The new Alva Academy has been built at the end of Greenhead, a street on the south-east side of the town. [5]
Alva is on the main A91 Stirling to St Andrews road. Bus services run to Stirling and to Alloa (via Tillicoultry), and (less frequently) to St Andrews.
For more than 150 years, the annual Alva Games have been held in the town. [6]
Between 1937 and 1954, Alva Glen was famed for its annual Illuminations, which drew visitors from across Scotland. In 2004 the Illuminations were revived.
Harviestoun is a small Scottish brewery founded in 1985 by Ken Brooker in a 200 year old stone barn on a farm on the Harviestoun estate near Dollar.[7] It moved in 2004 to Alva Industrial Estate in Alva, before being bought by Caledonian Brewery in 2006. It became independent again in 2008, when Caledonian was bought by Scottish & Newcastle, and the new owners didn't want to take on Harviestoun.[8]
Harviestoun produce cask ales and filtered bottled beers. The most notable brands are Schiehallion, Bitter & Twisted and Old Engine Oil.[9]
The most prominent building in Alva is Strude Mill, a former woollen mill that has been restored and converted to flats. It stands above the town at the base of the hills, and is clearly visible from some distance away.
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