About
Alloa Tower is Scotland's largest surviving medieval tower house and one of the most remarkably well-preserved examples of a medieval Scottish nobleman's residence anywhere in the country. Built by the powerful Erskine family in the 14th century, the tower stands in Alloa Park in Clackmannanshire — Scotland's smallest county — and represents both an outstanding survival of medieval domestic architecture and a building connected to some of the most dramatic episodes of Scottish royal history.
The tower's association with Scottish royalty is exceptional. It served as a childhood residence for Mary Queen of Scots, who was brought here as an infant for safety during the tumultuous period following her father James V's death in 1542. The infant James VI — later James I of England and the first Stuart to rule a united Britain — was also housed at Alloa Tower as a child, in the care of the Earl of Mar. These royal connections place Alloa Tower at the very centre of the most momentous period in Scottish and British royal history, making it a site of profound historical significance that its modest scale belies.
The physical survival of the tower is extraordinary. The original medieval vaulted ceiling is intact — an exceptional rarity in Scottish domestic architecture. The original medieval oak roof beams survive, as does the dungeon with its original features. The walls, three metres thick at the base, have stood unchanged for over 600 years. Managed by the National Trust for Scotland since 1988, the tower has been carefully conserved to preserve these medieval features while making the building accessible and comprehensible to modern visitors.
The tower's collections include a significant assembly of family portraits connected to the Erskine dynasty — later Earls of Mar — including a notable Jacobite portrait collection that reflects the family's support for the Stuart cause in the 18th century. The 6th Earl of Mar led the Jacobite rising of 1715, making Alloa Tower a site connected to one of the most significant challenges to the Hanoverian succession in British history.
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Annual Visitors (2019)
12,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Tuesday, Wednesday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Weekday afternoons in early summer or September offer quiet access. The tower is small and intimate — it is rarely overwhelmed.
💡 Visitor Tips
- Alloa Tower has seasonal opening (April to October only) and is closed in winter. Always check the NTS website before visiting to confirm the tower is open on your intended date.
- NTS members get free admission — if you plan multiple Scottish heritage visits, NTS membership is excellent value.
- The guided tour is the primary access method — do not expect to wander freely. The guides are knowledgeable and the format ensures the conservation-sensitive building is properly protected.
- The medieval vaulted ceiling is the must-see feature — allow yourself time to appreciate the extraordinarily rare survival of intact 14th-century domestic architecture.
- Alloa is conveniently reached by train from Stirling (the Stirling-Alloa line reopened in 2008) — making this an easy addition to a Stirling heritage day without a car.
- The Jacobite portrait collection on the upper floors is a highlight for those interested in 18th-century Scottish and British political history — the story of the 6th Earl of Mar and the 1715 rising is told through the faces in these portraits.
- The tower is small and the visitor numbers low — this is a genuinely intimate heritage experience quite different from the crowds at Stirling Castle or Bannockburn.
- The park surrounding the tower is pleasant for a short walk before or after your visit, giving good views of the tower's exterior scale and the quality of its medieval masonry.
Highlights
Discover the unique exhibits and collections at this museum.
Collections
The primary heritage asset is the tower building itself — Scotland's largest surviving medieval tower house with intact 14th-century vaulted ceiling, original oak roof beams, and dungeon. Movable collections include Erskine family portraits and Jacobite-related objects. NTS maintains and interprets the building and its associated collections.
Alloa Tower — Medieval Architecture and Royal History
The tower itself with its intact medieval ceiling, roof beams, and dungeon, interpreted through guided tours covering the building's history, construction, and royal connections.
📍 Throughout tower
Erskine Family Portraits and Jacobite Collection
Family portraits and Jacobite-connected objects tracing the Erskines from their medieval origins to their leading role in the 1715 Jacobite rising.
📍 Portrait rooms
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.