The Kelpies

켈피스

The Kelpies are two giant steel horse heads that stand beside the Forth and Clyde Canal near Falkirk and Grangemouth in Scotland. Each head is 30 metres tall and weighs about 300 tonnes. They are said to be the largest horse sculptures in the world, and they are easy to spot from the nearby M9 motorway.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Country: United Kingdom
Location: Falkirk, Scotland, UK
Built: 2013
Height: 30 m
Type: Statue

Quick answers

Where is The Kelpies?

The Kelpies is in Falkirk, Scotland, UK, United Kingdom.

When was The Kelpies built?

The Kelpies was built in 2013.

How tall is The Kelpies?

The Kelpies is about 30 m tall.

Two 30 m steel horse heads by a canal, named after the shape-shifting water spirits of Scottish legend.

Sculptor Andy Scott designed them, and they were finished in October 2013 and officially unveiled in April 2014. They sit around a special lock and basin that marks the eastern gateway of the canal, inside a park called the Helix.

What is a kelpie?

In Scottish folklore a kelpie is a water spirit that can change shape and often appears as a horse. The project took the name to reflect the strength and endurance of ten horses. But the sculptor said he moved away from the myth toward a monument to real working horses, especially the heavy horses that pulled barges, ploughs and wagons and shaped the Falkirk area's industry and farming.

How they were made

The heads are built from a structural steel frame covered in stainless steel, and their shape is inspired by Clydesdale draught horses. In 2008 Andy Scott made three-metre models in his Glasgow studio, which were scanned by laser to help the steel makers cut accurate full-size parts. Construction began in June 2013 and finished that October. Nearly one million people visited in the first year after opening.

Fun facts

They are said to be the largest horse sculptures in the world.
Each Kelpie weighs about 300 tonnes and stands 30 metres high.
They were modelled on Clydesdale horses, a big working breed from Scotland.
Smaller 1:10 copies have travelled to events in places such as Chicago and New York.
The sculptures were scanned with lasers from three-metre models to get the shapes exact.