The Kelpies are a pair of oversized horse-head sculptures, designed by sculptor Andy Scott, standing in a new parkland project, known as The Helix, in Falkirk, Scotland. They form a gateway to a new canal extension, reconnecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the River Forth and improving navigation between Eastern and Western Scotland.
The Kelpies reflect mythological transforming beasts which possess the strength of 10 horses, which is analogous to the endurance of Scotland’s inland waterways. They also represent the historical importance of the heavy-horse industry to the traditional Scottish economy, since they were used for pulling the wagons, ploughs, barges and coal ships, thus helping to shape the geographical layout of the area.
In 2008, to help the steel fabricators create accurate full-scale components, Scott created 3m-high miniatures in his Glasgow studio which were then scanned by lasers. Construction of The Kelpies themselves began in June 2013 and was finished that October. Built of structural steel with stainless steel cladding, galvanized using a hot dip process and welded by hand from small plates of steel, they are 30 meters high and weigh 300 tons each. They are also positioned on either side of a specially constructed lock and basin.
During the first year following the opening, nearly one million people visited the sculptures.
- Visited: Sep 2017
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