TILLICOULTRY Mine lies to the east of Derby Place just off the Devon Way and can be accessed via the Red Bridge, or Red Brig as it is known locally.

The bridge itself is in a poor state of repair, but it is still possible to cross it to reach the site of the disused colliery.

The pit was originally opened in 1876 by the Alloa Coal Company and was re-opened in 1947 by the National Coal Board, as indicated by the sign which can still be seen above the bricked-up entrance today.

For the next 10 years, coal was mined there, with it being transported on special trains which branched off the Tillicoultry-Dollar railway line and taken to Alloa docks.

It was productive initially, with the miners often reaching twice the national average output per man per shift, with a total of over 200 tons of coal daily and an average of 55,000 tons per year according to 1948 figures.

Two years later, the number of miners extracting coal from the seam had more than trebled to 346 and in 1951 coal output reached 121,000 tons. This dropped significantly year on year thereafter however and the mine became economically unviable.

Facilities at the mine included baths the miners could use after their shift as well as a canteen, with the electricity supply required for the complex coming from the nearby Devon Colliery.

Of note is an historic event that took place at the mine in 1952.

On November 25, the first ever live underground broadcast took place there thanks to BBC Scotland’s Other People’s Jobs.

Fourteen miners took part in the programme to demonstrate to young men that mining was a career worth considering, but Aubrey Singer, who oversaw the whole production, complained that the dampness was affecting some of the equipment and, to compound matters, the control panel, which was normally housed in the mobile unit, had to be dismantled, manhandled 400 yards (366m), and rebuilt 200 feet (70m) below ground.

He also highlighted the challenges of using camera equipment within the confined spaces. For example, 18-inch (46cm) holes had to be blasted into the floor to accommodate the legs for three of the four 120 lb (54kg) television cameras at the coalface. Highlights included a coal cutter in operation, shot-firing and coal stripping.

The mine closed on January 18, 1957 and was finally abandoned in 1959.