Falkirk: A History

For centuries Falkirk’s key position at the heart of Scotland has ensured its central role in the nation’s history. Roman legions, Highland cattle drovers, canal builders, and ironmasters have all left their mark on a district associated in turn with William Wallace, Mary, Queen of Scots, and Bonnie Prince Charlie. In the Victorian and Edwardian eras, unrivalled skill in ironfounding and the fertility of the carse brought prosperity to the town and to the nearby villages. The decline associated with steady economic and social change in the last half-century has given way to a growing self-confidence and to real programmes of urban and industrial renewal. There is an awakening of interest in the history of the area, helped in no small way by the restoration of the canals and the construction of the Falkirk Wheel, the world’s first rotating boat lift. This book gives a fully revised and comprehensive account of Falkirk’s fascinating history.