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A giant pair of equine sculptures — which cost £5 million to build— were completed at a ceremony in central Scotland today (November 27).
The Kelpies, which stand 30m tall, have been designed to pay homage to the working horses of Scotland’s past.
More than 6 kilometres and 600 tonnes of structural steel was used to create them. Engineers have also added 10,000 special fixings to secure the “skin” of the 2 horses to the steel framework.
The horse head structures are part of the much larger Helix project, which is transforming 350 hectares of land between Falkirk and Grangemouth. It is funded via a partnership between The Big Lottery Fund, Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals.
Scottish artist Andy Scott was behind the design for the enormous sculptures.
“It is almost 8 years since I did the first sketches of the project on my then girlfriend and now wife’s kitchen table in Amsterdam, so to see them completed here today is both humbling and fantastic,” said Mr Scott.
“I have always been fascinated with horses and the heavy horse was the driving force in industry until after the Industrial revolution.
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
“There is an ancient and almost primal link between man and horse. The Kelpies you see here today are an outstanding exemplar of art and engineering coming together to deliver something really special for the people of Falkirk and Scotland.”
The entire development, which will open in 2014, is expected to attract an additional 350,000 visitors and boost tourism in the area by £1.5million a year.
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.