Glenochil Prison near Tullibody is the only prison in Clackmannanshire.

Built on land purchased from the National Coal Board, it sits on the site of the former Glenochil colliery.

Over the years it has seen its fair share of controversy and has housed a number of high profile prisoners such as the Paul Ferris, known as the Wee Man, and convicted murderer Angus Sinclair.

In recent years, the prison has been completely rebuilt, including the construction of a new gatehouse, new kitchen and new reception, as well as the erection of the 5.2m high wall surrounding the prison which replaced the security fencing.

It offers places to prisoners mainly from the Forth Valley and Fife areas of the country.

In early 1952 planning permission was granted to sink a new mine south of Alva and the site chosen was Glenochil. It was expected to extract 3000 tons of coal a day for the next 50 years.

Simon Carves won the contract to build the coal preparation plant at the pit, as well as the hoppers and bunkers situated beneath the tipplers and the conveyor belt to transport the coal to the plant.

Work began in March 1954 with the expectation of two types of coal being separated on site.

West of the main entrance was a two-story building, housing offices, lamp cabins, stores and workshops.

Coal production began in earnest in December 1956 and at its peak in 1960, the workforce amounted to just over 900 workers.

In 1957 pit head baths and a canteen were constructed. When the land was sold by the National Coal Board in the 1960s, most of the new Glenochil detention centre incorporated this part of the site.

Redesigned by Glasgow based architect Alexander Buchanan Campbell, the baths and the canteen, as well as the medical room, were all converted to accommodate prisoners in the early days of the prison.

On 1st June 1962, the last shift at Glenochil colliery was called. One of the reasons for its closure was the changing market for coal.

Electric and gas heating was replacing coal fires and back boilers, so the demand for house coal was dropping.

Subsidence and compression made extracting the coal expensive and it was difficult to work the seams.

To add to the National Coal Board’s woes, previous workings meant there was not as much coal as expected either. It was one of the NCB's largest failures.

The site was sold in the mid-1960s and incorporated into HMP Glenochil in 1966, a new link in the prison system.