Kelpies

Stunning is the word that comes to mind when you round the corner and get your first glimpse of these horses! Breathtaking is another.

The Kelpies were built as a gateway to The Helix, a land transformation project to improve the connections between and around 16 communities in Falkirk District, Scotland, including the eastern end of the Forth and Clyde Canal, and to regenerate the area near where the canal joins the River Carron.

These sculptures are 30 metres/98 1/2 ft. in height and weigh 300 tonnes each. They are made of structural steel with stainless steel cladding.

The original concept was of the mythical water creatures called Kelpies, possessing the strength and endurance of 10 horses, but the artist moved more towards an equine and contemporary concept to celebrate lineage of the heavy horse of Scottish industry and economy, pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges and coalships that shaped the geographical layout of the Falkirk area. Another inspiration was Carnera, a Clydesdale horse that pulled a wagon for a local soft drink company. Carnera was the world’s largest working horse standing at 19 hands high. He pulled 3 ton wagons full of Irn Bru!

You can read the history of these great sculptures at The Kelpies.

This artist Andy Scott, just finished another great sculpture honoring those who lost their lives in the iron and  steel industry of Scotland. You can see it at Ravenscraig steelworks site in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. Read about it here.

One of my favorites things I saw in Scotland!

Peggy Ann