IN 1815, the port of Alloa became independent, which lasted nearly 80 years until the Trustees sold it to North British Rail and then the North British Transport Company.

During the latter 19th century, it continued to thrive with many ships having to wait for berths, although trading tailed off during the winter months and the ships were tied up until spring.

Throughout this time Alloa never had any tug steam boats of its own to tow vessels to Alloa from Grangemouth, which did have them, although there were other steam tugs that frequented the port making them available to assist shipping at all times.

There were no fixed charges relating to the service as it was an agreed sum following the brokering of a deal between the ship’s master and the pilot.

Charges ranged in the 1840s between £1 1s to £2 2s for pilotage between Leith and Alloa for example, around 30 miles, depending on the size of the vessel and season of the year.

Ballast was made available from 5d to 7d per ton, but due to the coal being loaded at the dock was rarely ever required, and for each tide or day’s work on the quay, the charge was 2s 6d and 3s 6d.

Harbour dues for all shipping at Alloa was three farthings per registered ton with the shore dues on goods being moderate and regulated by terms in an Act of Parliament.

Other information given to shipping was the depth of the water at the harbour. This ranged from 3.6m to 4.2m (12 to 14 feet) at neap tides (lower than average) and 5.4m to 6.1m (18 to 20 feet) at spring ones (higher than average).

The coming of World War I in 1914 led to a chain of events that saw the demise of the port. No longer were ships allowed up the River Forth so alternative ways were found to transport goods, such as road and rail. This led to the closure of the wagonway in 1924.

The opening of the Kincardine Bridge in 1936 also had an impact with ships docking at Grangemouth then goods transported by road more quickly to the factories and business in Alloa.

There was a minor boost to the port during World War II when several ships were re-fitted, and Mulberry Harbours were manufactured at the site, but the decline continued after the war.

Even with upgrading and modernisation, it could not compete with Grangemouth, and in 1951 the harbour was infilled. The port finally closed in the 1960s