John Paton, founder of the local Patons woolen mill company, came to Alloa from Easter Pitgober, near Dollar and set up his first woollen spinning mill on the Brothie Burn at Alloa in 1814. The business thrived and expanded across Clackmannanshire and as far afield as China and Tasmania.
Most of the local family mansions have survived in some form including Inglewood House, Gean House and Greenfield House in Alloa. However, the Patons & Baldwins wool business has declined over the years, and lost ties with Clackmannanshire when the Kilncraigs mill in Alloa closed in 1999.
Inglewood House - June 2022
Completed in 1901, Inglewood house was designed by A G Sydney Mitchell & Wilson Architects in the style of a symmetrical Jacobean House. The south frontage has two-storey bay windows with a verandah, offering views across the grounds to the pond at the southern edge of the gardens. Internal features include a two-storey galleried reception hall with full-height stained glass window by Oscar Paterson and many of the rooms feature large inglenook fireplaces. Finished internally by the famous Glasgow Company Wylie and Lochhead, interior designers and skilled cabinet makers, who are best known for designing the interiors for Skibo Castle in the Scottish Highlands.
Inglewood House and Grounds - June 2022
The mansion is set in 25 acres of land, although housing development around the former west lodge and east lodge areas have enclosed the building marginally.
The building was used for many years as a home for the elderly, run at the time by the Church of Scotland. The building was later sold off and has been transformed into Inglewood House and Spa, offering hotel accommodation, teas, spa and leisure facilities.