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Falkirk is a large town in central Scotland,
25 miles west of Edinburgh, 23 miles northeast
of Glasgow.
The main attractions in the Town are the Old
Church in the town centre, Falkirk
Wheel with water activities on the west
side, and on the east side, Callendar
House for the History of Falkirk, Helix
Park with a Boating Pond and Kids Play, and the
Kelpies large Horse Sculptures by the
Canal where it enters the Firth of Forth.
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Attractions
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The image top is from the east looking up
the High Street towards the Steeple. The Flat
on the left has a plaque stating the famous
Scots poet Robert Burns lodged there in
1787.
The second image shows the Steeple at the
Market Square in the town centre. This is where
markets were held 2 days a week. Public
executions were also carried out at the square
with the last hanging in 1828.
The third image is looking west down the
pedestrian only High Street, where most of the
top shops are located.
Falkirk Trinity Church is half way down the
High Street. The first church on this site is
said to have been built in the 600s. A larger
church was built on the site in the 1400s, with
that building extended between 1733 and
1892.
The main grave in the Church Cemetery is of
Sir John de Graeme who died at the Battle of
Falkirk in 1298, during the Wars of
Scottish Independence.
Newmarket Street runs parallel to the High
Street where you can view a Boer War Memorial,
and Statue of the Duke of Wellington.
The Falkirk Wheel is on the east side of
the town. This is a Rotating Boat Lift
completed in 2002 to connect the Forth and
Clyde Canal with the Union Canal.
The Union Canal closed in 1933, leading to
the Canals and Lochs being run down. In 2001,
the Canals and Locks were re-opened with the
Falkirk Wheel completed the next year to
replace the 11 Locks needed on this site
before. The Union Canal here runs to
Edinburgh.
There are a number of water play areas
around the Falkirk Wheel for kids and a large
Cafe.
The Forth Canal runs from Glasgow, through
Falkirk Centre, then out into the Firth of
Forth, where the Kelpies large Horse Sculptures
are situated.
The metal War Memorial is by the Forth Canal
at Lock 16 on the west side of the Town centre
in the area of Camelon, unveiled in 2016.
Callendar House is a mansion built
from the 1400s for the Livingston's on the east
side of Falkirk, now open to the public with a
large museum covering the history of
Falkirk.
The Antonine Wall
runs past the house, a wall built by the Romans
in the 2nd Century to try and control
Scotland.
The Helix is a large Park on the east side
of Falkirk opened in 2013 with a large boating
pond, kids fountains, play park, large
grassland, cafe, and wetland walks.
The Kelpies are next to The Helix,
large Horse Sculptures where the Forth Canal
enters the Firth of Forth. The Kelpies were
opened to the public in 2014, to designs of the
sculptor Andy Scott, in memory of the heavy
horses that worked on the canals.
Falkirk History
AD 140s - the Romans built the Antonine Wall
across central Scotland to try and control the
Scots Tribes. Some of the best preserved
sections of the wall are around Falkirk,
although these are mainly earth mounds.
600s - the earliest parts of Falkirk Trinity
Church were built in the Town centre.
1100s - the Callendar Family owned Callendar
Estate on the east side of Falkirk, with their
house known as Thanes Hall.
1298 - the Battle of
Falkirk took place during the Scottish Wars
of Independence. It is unclear where the battle
took place. The Scots led by William Wallace
were defeated by a larger English army.
1300s - the Callendar's lost their Estate
after supporting Edward Balliol in his battles
with Robert the Bruce.
1345 - Callendar lands were granted by King
David II, son of King Robert the Bruce, to Sir
William Livingston, with the Livingston's later
becoming the Earls of Callendar.
1400s - the Livingston's built a Tower House
close to Thanes Hall, that would be extended
over the years into the large Callander Mansion
seen today.
1697 - the first Steeple was built at
Falkirk Market Square to serve as a Tolbooth
and Jail. Public punishments and executions
took place in the Market Square in front of the
Steeple.
1700s - Falkirk was one of the first major
iron-casting centre's.
1710 - Falkirk became the major market for
Highland Cattle, taking most of that trade from
Crieff
further northwest. Cattle from the Highlands
and Island were driven down between August and
October each year to be sold for meat around
Scotland and England.
1746 January - the Battle of Falkirk
Muir was fought between Jacobite's
supporting Charles Edward Stuart and a
Government Army commanded by Lieutenant General
Henry Hawley. The Jacobite's won that battle, but lost
the final Battle at Culloden in April.
1790 - the Forth and Clyde Canal opened,
connecting Glasgow to the Firth of Forth by
Edinburgh, passing through Falkirk.
1803 - the Steeple was demolished after it
began to subside.
1814 - the present day Steeple was built at
43 metres / 141 ft high, with cells in the
upper floors.
1822 - the Union Canal opened connecting
Falkirk to Edinburgh, joining the Forth and
Clyde Canal at Falkirk.
1828 - 18-year-old Francis Cockburn was the
last person to be executed by hanging in front
of the Steeple, after murdering William Burt,
his fellow workman.
1830s - the Railway connected Falkirk to
Edinburgh.
1876 - Falkirk Football Club was
founded.
1927 - the Steeple was hit by lightning,
resulting in the top 30 feet having to be
rebuilt.
1933 - the Western end of the Union Canal
closed, ending commercial traffic.
1963 - the Forth and Clyde Canal closed,
leading to the Canals and Locks being
un-usable.
1969 - Alex Ferguson signed for Falkirk
Football Club as a player coach.
2002 - the Falkirk Wheel was completed for a
Project that saw the Canals and Locks opened to
boats once again.
2003 - the new 7,937 all-seater Falkirk
Stadium was completed on the east side of
Falkirk.
2013 - the Helix Park was opened on the east
side of Falkirk with a boating pond and kids
play.
2014 - the Kelpies were completed next to
the Helix where the Clyde and Forth Canal
enters the Firth of Forth.
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