Two giant horse head sculptures to be built in central Scotland

Work is getting under way on two giant sculptures of horses’ heads, to be installed in Falkirk, central Scotland.

‘The Kelpies’, by artist Andy Scott will tower 30 metres above the Forth and Clyde canal.

Each steel head will weigh over 300 tonnes. Once completed, they will be the tallest works of art in Scotland — a third taller than Anthony Gormley’s Angel of the North sculpture, which stands next to the A1 near Newcastle.

Kelpies are water spirits from Celtic folklore, that took the form of a horse.

Sculptor Andy Scott said his kelpies were modelled on two Clydesdales belonging to Glasgow City Council.

“They are the embodiment of the industrial history of Scotland and the Falkirk area. Heavy horses would once have been the powerhouse of the area, working in the foundries, the fields, farms and the canal,” he has said.

The Kelpies will be the centerpiece of a £43m regeneration project called The Helix, which will transform a 350-hectare swathe of wasteland near Falkirk’s football club, with a lagoon, parkland, café and children’s play area.

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