The Kelpies Falkirk Scotland

The Kelpies near Falkirk, Scotland

The Kelpies near Falkirk

Jake Davies

The Kelpies, Scotland, UK. — The Kelpies, 100 ft high sculptures by Andy Scott

The Kelpies are a pair of truly monumental-scale statues towering over the countryside near Falkirk in Scotland that have been visited by millions since their opening to the public in 2014.

Two gleaming horse heads, 100 ft (30 meters) tall are clad in stainless steel panels and sit astride a canal lock. The stainless steel panels are attached to structural steel frames and each statue weighs 300 tons. They were built in 2013 and designed by artist Andy Scott.

History

Scott, born in Scotland in 1964, graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1986. Now based in the U.S., his work, mostly in steel and bronze, is primarily figurative though constructed using modern engineering techniques. The Kelpies are his best known work, though he has completed more than 80 public pieces around the world.

Kelpies are mythological water spirits that are said to inhabit lochs and pools throughout Scotland. Able to shapeshift into human form they mostly are described as resembling a horse and like similar spirits throughout the world are said to cause drownings.

The most famous legend of a kelpie in Scotland is Loch Ness. Scott's sculptures however also reference the horses that provided the motive power for the canals.

Kelpies, mythological water spirits in Scotland. — Kelpies are mythological water spirits that are said to inhabit lochs and pools throughout Scotland.

Forth & Clyde Canal

The Kelpies sit astride a lock on a new extension of the Forth & Clyde Canal near where the canal connects with the River Carron.

Part of a major development in the area named The Helix, that includes performance areas, sports parks, watersports, play areas, all connected by footpaths, cycleways, and of course the canals.

Not far from the Kelpies is the Falkirk Wheel, a striking, modern boat lift that connects the Forth & Clyde canal with the Union Canal. Until the unveiling of the Kelpies the Falkirk Wheel was one of the most visited sites in the area.

The Kelpies are free to visit and are illuminated at night. There is a visitor center and a cafe on the site, and it is possible to pay for a guided tour that will take you inside one of the statues to marvel at its engineering.

Another of Andy Scott's horse statues is the Equus Altus in the Trinity Leeds shopping complex in Leeds.