Iconic Sculptures Celebrate Rich Equine History

Clydesdales, Duke and Baron were the models for The Kelpies (Photos: The Kelpies Facebook page)

In a region with a rich equine history, the world's largest pair of steel horse heads has emerged!

Over the past year, a pair of stunning equine sculptures have been erected as a gateway to Scotland’s Forth and Clyde Canal. Named after the mythical water horses from Celtic folklore, the sculptures are known as The Kelpies. Towering 30 metres high over the canal in the new Helix Parkland and weighing over 300 tonnes each, The Kelpies were built as monuments to the horse-powered industrial heritage of the Falkirk area.

"Falkirk was my father's home town and that inherited association to the town has been one of my driving inspirations,” sculptor Andy Scott was quoted as saying on the project's website. “A sense of deep personal legacy has informed my thinking from the outset, with old family connections anchoring me to the project."

Evolving from the original sketches of the mythical horses, the sculptures were styled as heavy horses, modelled after two Clydesdales named Duke and Baron, to represent the region's heritage. The two horse heads were thoughtfully positioned to exhibit beautiful views of both structures from different angles.

"I see The Kelpies as a personification of local and national equine history, of the lost industries of Scotland,” said Scott, whose public art portfolio also includes equine sculptures located in England and Australia. “I also envisage them as a symbol of modern Scotland, proud and majestic, of the people and the land. They are the culmination of cutting edge technology and hand crafted artisanship, created by our country's leading experts through international partnerships.”

Smaller models of The Kelpies have been showcased across Scotland and are on tour in the United States. Known as maquettes, these 1:10 scale models have been sited at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, Indiana's Purdue University and Bryant Park in New York City.

The Kelpies are made of a structural steel skeleton with laser-cut stainless steel panels mounted on the surface. Outer floodlights will showcase The Kelpies at night while LED lights will illuminate the monuments from within. Construction of The Kelpies began on June 17, 2013 and was completed on November 27, 2013 with the process documented on the project's website and Facebook page.

The official opening of The Kelpies is set for April 21.