The Kelpies

On a clear cloudless day my, friend and I set off in the car to visit the Kelpies near Falkirk by the time we had arrived there the sky was covered in grey cloud and we feared that stainless steel statues would lose a lot of their appeal in such monotone surroundings. However, after queuing for ages to get in the car park we were amazed what impression they made on us. Standing about 100 feet tall the hordes of visitors surrounding their bases were lost against the sheer scale and beauty of these massive work horses. They are sculpted by Andy Scott and are a monument to the hundreds of Clydesdale and Shire Horses who pulled the wagons and towed the canal barges in this central Scottish belt of the industrial revolution.

The kelpies are according to Scottish mythology are water sprites who used to drag unsuspecting humans down to a watery grave. More commonly in coastal regions they are seals which rose out of the kelp and seaweed but in the inland rivers they frequently took the form of a horse.

What makes them so special is that they are modelled on a couple of immense Clydesdales who are still alive, though one has now gone into retirement and the muscular and skeletal features of the horses have been so well captured by Andy Scott. We joined the tour which allows you to go inside the sculptures to see how they are constructed and as I am very much into abstract sculptural features I had a field day and have included one of the images in my blipfolio. HERE