The Kelpies and The Falkirk Wheel

Life in our new flat is slowly coming together, slowly being the operative word here. When I came back from the U.S. in August, we got delivery of our bed, which was a nice improvement over sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Unfortunately, the sofas we ordered, however, aren’t due until February due to all the production and shipping disruptions related to the pandemic. Thank goodness I shipped my Uncle John and Aunt Janet’s dining room table and chairs or we’d be sitting on the floor for our meals!

Our decision to pursue second-hand for other pieces of furniture on our wish list, in this case a bookshelf, took us on a recent excursion to the town of Falkirk, which roughly lies between Glasgow and Edinburgh, just 20 or so miles from each.

In spite of not ideal weather (it’s been raining everyday except one so far in October), we made side trips to see a few of Falkirk’s interesting sites, the Kelpies and The Falkirk Wheel, while in the area.

The Kelpies are a true wonder. At 100-feet tall, they were originally commissioned to be representations of this Celtic mythical creature (kelpie) which has the shape of a horse ahead above water, luring people to climb atop them only to take them under and drown them.

When the artist Andy Scott was approached about creating the Kelpies, over the course of his development of the concept, he shifted the inspiration from the kelpie creatures to be one of appreciation for the great working horses which powered so much of the development of this area, including those that worked the towpath of the Forth & Clyde Canal itself.

He took inspiration for the two horse heads from actual Clydesdale horses which live at a public park in Glasgow. While I had seen Clydesdale horses at many agricultural fairs over the years, it never dawned on me that the breed originated here, taking the name of the important River Clyde.

Andy Scott was Glasgow-raised and trained at the Glasgow School of Art, but had some family background in the Falkirk area. (He’s now based in Philadelphia!!) Due to planning and funding issues, it took a grueling eight years to move the Kelpies from paper to actuality.

D. and I took the short tour inside of Duke as the rain came down on us through the big steel plates. From the inside, you can see what an engineering marvel it is with individually crafted panels that form an animal weighing over 335 US tons each.

From the outside, what is remarkable about them is that in spite of these masses of steel, they look so animated. Baron especially looks as though he could come emerge from the water and gallop across the surrounding park. They’re such a clever and inspirational way to help people remember the contribution of these strong, gentle creatures to the development and thriving of this area in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Another engineering marvel, The Falkirk Wheel is nearby. The Wheel, built in 2002 rotates to lift boats from one canal into another. Those canals used to be linked by eleven individual locks which had fallen into neglect or been developed over. This inventive lift replaces those locks with a mechanism which raises a boat into the air over 100 feet.

We took the short boat ride to experience it ourselves and marveled at the design which allowed the lifting to be done with minimal power need by balancing a boat raising with another lowering.

Our trip to score a second-hand book shelf yielded a fun diversion and a chance to learn about the important role that canals and draft horses played in Scottish heritage and to see Scottish design, engineering and art on a grand scale.