|
|
Do you have any memories of Tillicoultry which you would
like to share with others?
please e mail
stories and / or pictures and we will include them on the memory board
Looking for information about relatives or friends?
Ben Vorlich was a regular climb for scouts under Jimmy Dawson as was the annual cattle truck journey to Fincastle for the Scout Camp
Thanks to Brian Anderson for these photos
My great x 4 grandparents were Samuel Schaw and his wife Janet (who may also
have been a Schaw). They had 5 children: Ann b 1791, John 1793, George
1795, Robert 1797 and William 1800 all born in Tillicoultry. According to
Robert's birth record Samuel and Janet were tenants in Eastertown and Robert
was baptised in Westertown. The youngest son, William, was baptized before
the anti-burgher congregation, St Mary's.
Robert, my ancestor, married Margaret Auld in 1825. He became a tea, wine
and spirit merchant and owned much property in Leith, Midlothian. He had 5
children and left the business to his youngest son, Robert, bypassing for
reasons unknown his elder son John who was left an annual legacy to be
distributed bi-annually by the trustees of his will.
I would like to hear from anyone who knows anything about the Schaw family
Many thanks
Rhiannon Boardman
Abergavenny
Wales
|
I have never been to Tillicoultry, but in the 1960’s i was very involved with the trade union movement, and I did number of TUC postal courses which were designed to educate the trade union members. Recently I have come across the certificates from that period. I would love to hear from anyone that worked in the TUC postal course office or in any way was involved with this.
Malcolm C. Fox B.Sc. (Econ)(hons.) |
Duncan Sinclair prepares a Hattersley loom for weaving
My father owned the clock mill and all of the family worked there at some time or another. I was there briefly from 1969 to 1973.
I can remember his determination to get the clock working when he eventually owned the mill
I can remember his determination to get the clock working when he eventually owned the mill.
There is a lade running to the left as viewed towards the hills. My father always wanted to restore the water wheel but unfortunately this was never done for various reasons.
It would have been a stunning feature.
I also have many memories of my childhood there.
One in particular is as follows.
My friend and I discovered an ice cooler in the woods below the ruins of Alva House. These are quite rare and I wondered if the Heritage organisations know of it.
Basically it is a huge brick built dome underground. There was a passage leading to the house and servants shovelled ice into the containers for the
staff to pull the ice into kitchen. The ice was kept frozen with hay.
Please don't ask me the scientific reason for this.
Alan Sinclair
|
Duncan Sinclair in the showroom of the Clock Mill holding an innovative mohair blanket he designed.
This was given an award by the design centre in London and the blanket was exhibited there for some time. |
William Russell Gentleman
My grandfather, William Russell Gentleman, son of Thomas Gentleman,
was born at 57 Mill Street, Tillicoultry in December 1862. His
father Thomas was at that time a carter. The 1881 census lists
him as carter and grocer living in Crofthead. We have
a badly faded old glass photograph showing two ladies
who we are sure are great-grandmother Janet Gentleman and her
daughter standing in the doorway of a shop with, barely decipherable,
T.GENTLEMAN, above the lintel - we believe this is the building
now called "Mayhill" on the corner of Crofthead
and Union Street.
|
NOTE - This
is Mayhill - the window to the right of the door no longer exists |
In 1969 an aunt from Canada visited Tillicoultry
and took a colour photograph which she indicates
is the family home of Thomas where my grandfather William grew
up, but she gives no address. William
went on to be a draper with his own business in Coatbridge.On
a visit to Tillicoultry we were unable to identify the house
shown in this picture. It appears, from the background o be
in the northwest of the town and the view is certainly northwards,
given the background of the hills, but perhaps it has now been
demolished

NOTE - This house which was in Upper Mill Street has indeed
been demolished and replaced with a bungalow set back off
the road
|
William, born at 57 Mill Street, was
at 7 Crofthead when he married in 1889, and the census 2 years
later shows him at 83 Ochil Street. His wife’s father
(Donald McNaughtan) was with them when he died shortly after
their marriage in 1889. His
death certificate indicates he died at Institute Cottage. William’s
daughter (my aunt Nan) was born 1890 also at Institute Cottage. We
see from the town’s excellent Website that there was a Popular
Institute at the top of Ochil Street, since demolished, and assume
that the cottage was attached to the Institute in some way (and
may even be the same building the census lists as No.83?) We
could not, of course find 83 on our visit! Do you know
of any books or information on the Institute that might help us? We
also drew a blank on an address called ‘How Dub’ (which
we assume has now gone) and wonder whether this rings any bells?
If you have any information on How Dub or the Popular Institute
at the top of Ochil Street please e
mail and I will pass it on
|
Do you remember the day the Queen visited Tillicoultry
?
View photos of the Royal visit
A Royal Luncheon was held in Alloa Academy on Friday
28th June 1963 after the Queen had been in Tillicoultry
My memories of Tillicoultry are pretty vague.
I was evacuated there during World War 2. I guess I was around
three or four years old at the time. I can't recall how long
I was there. It could have been weeks perhaps months. I was
taken in by a Mrs Walsh. Pleasant memories of fishing for minnows
in the Devon. Unpleasant memory of hitting my head on a cast
iron rocking horse still bear the scar above my eyebrow.
Tom in San Francisco
|
I remember when I first went to the cinema
in the town hall to watch matinees and the manager was as strict
as any Sgt. major in the forces.no messing around when he patrolled
around. I went to the local school and played football there.
I am now living in North Wales but still miss the old place.I
came across your site by accident so I will continue to keep
in touch Keep up the good work.
|
Working
in Devonvale
During the 2nd World War I left my job in the Harlands
in Alloa to look for a new position in my home town of Tillicoultry.
I placed an advert in the Tillicoultry paper, The Tribune saying
:
"Comptometer Operator wishes part time work
- available now"
The article appeared on the Monday evening and I
got a telegram that night saying "See me Tuesday 9am. Platfoot"
Mr Platfoot was never a man to waste words!
I went for an interview and was offerred the job,
starting the following day. The main office was upstairs but I had
an office to myself downstairs. The accounts were kept in large ledgers
and I had to transfer details from invoices and receipts into these
ledgers using the comptometer
Submitted by A.F.
|

A comptometer was a sort of adding
machine
|

An early advert for a comptometer
|

Hill Street in 2005

Church Grove 2005
|
My husband was serving in the forces during World
War 2 and we rented a small privately owned flat in Hill Street.
Our name was on the council housing list but we waited in vain
to be offerred a house.
The flat was in need of renovation and repair.
The linoleum had cracks in it and there were holes in the skirting
boards as well which encouraged creepy crawlies and dampness
into the rooms.
One morning I wakened and went to make myself
a cup of tea only to find a huge black slug in the teacup. I
was so disgusted that I went straight down to Devonvale Mill
and into the office of Mr Platfoot who was Provost at that time
and demanded that he do something about the poor living accomodation.
I explained that we had been on the council housing list for
years but not been offerred anything. He said he would look into
the matter.
On the Monday night the list went up outside
the Council offices with the names of those allocated the new
council houses in Church Grove. We were given one !
Submitted by A.F.
|
Working
in the Co-op Offices
My Saturday job around 1970 was working in the
Co-op offices from 9am - 1pm for the princely sum of 10 shillings.
I worked the switchboard and transferred calls to the various
departments and made outside calls for the different shops. However
one of the main jobs was to sort out all the checks - everyone
had a co-op number and shop assistants had to write out a check
in duplicate of all transactions stating the co-op number and
the amount spent. One check went to the customer and the duplicate
eventually went to the office where it was torn out of the book
and separated into piles so that each customer's spending could
be recorded in a ledger from which the dividend was calculated.
This was a time consuming task and done with the use of boards
with 10 rows of 10 sections so the mixed up checks could first
of all be divided into piles of 1- 100, 101 - 200 etc. then later
into individual numbers.
I also went round the various departments at approx.
12 noon each Saturday to collect the days takings (the shops
all closed at lunchtime) - no variation in route or time. Despite
this and the fact that I carried a considerable amount of money
in a shopping bag there was never a problem and no money was
ever stolen.
The present day co-op grocery store is on the site
of what was then the Central Grocery. There was a road up the
side of the grocery and the offices were up here on the left
hand side up a steep stairway. Then came the building housing
the gents dept, the drapery and the ladies dept upstairs, along
further was the butchers with the Co-op Hall above. These buildings
stretched almost to the foot of Stirling Street. The chemist
and fish shop were separated by the post office, the shoe shop
was at one time at the far end of what is now the Premier grocery
and the milk shop, bakers, 151 High Street (the bottom grocery)
and ironmongers were at the foot of the High Street next to the
Baptist Church. Over the years these shops have disappeared,
sometimes temporarily relocated elsewhere e.g.the ironmongery
was moved up beside the drapery with the road between the central
grocery and drapery being built over to form a new shop. I also
vaguely remember there being a hairdressers at the back of the
grocery.
Nowadays there is a new grocery store and a chemist
- the rest of the co-op shops have disappeared forever.
submitted by WM
|

The new co-operative grocery on the site of what used to be
the central grocery.
My mother's co-op number was 261.
I bet there are thousands of people out there who have never
forgotten their's !
|

The Home Farm Buildings,
Harviestoun Castle.
Harviestoun Castle
to the east of Tillicoultry was demolished in 1970
|

Tillicoultry Town Hall
|
|
|
The Town Hall was
demolished for safety reasons and now all that is left is the
Clock Tower - but the clock is in need of repair and at present
no longer works
|
|