Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the

Central Lowlands The Central Lowlands, sometimes called the Midland Valley or Central Valley, is a geologically defined area of relatively low-lying land in southern Scotland. It consists of a rift valley between the Highland Boundary Fault to the north and ...

of Scotland, historically within the county of

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

. It lies in the

Forth Valley The River Forth is a major river in central Scotland, long, which drains into the North Sea on the east coast of the country. Its drainage basin covers much of Stirlingshire in Scotland's Central Belt. The Gaelic name for the upper reach of th ...

, northwest of

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

and northeast of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the

2001 UK Census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

. The population of the town had risen to 34,570 according to a 2008 estimate, making it the 20th most populous settlement in Scotland. Falkirk is the main town and administrative centre of the

Falkirk council area Falkirk (; sco, Fawkirk; gd, An Eaglais Bhreac) is one of 32 unitary authority council areas of Scotland. It was formed on 1 April 1996 by way of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 from the exact boundaries of Falkirk District, one ...

, which has an overall population of 156,800 and inholds the nearby towns of

Grangemouth Grangemouth ( sco, Grangemooth; gd, Inbhir Ghrainnse, ) is a town in the Falkirk council area, Scotland. Historically part of the county of Stirlingshire, the town lies in the Forth Valley, on the banks of the Firth of Forth, east of Falkirk ...

Bo'ness Borrowstounness (commonly known as Bo'ness ( )) is a town and former burgh and seaport on the south bank of the Firth of Forth in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Historically part of the county of West Lothian, it is a place within the Fal ...

Denny Denny or Dennie may refer to: People *Denny (given name), a list of people named Denny or Dennie *Denny (surname), a list of people surnamed Denny or Dennie *Denny (hybrid hominin) Places *Denny, California, a ghost town *Denny, Falkirk, a town i ...

Camelon Camelon (; sco, Caimlan, gd, Camlann)
is a large set ...

Larbert Larbert ( gd, Lèirbert/Leth-pheairt, sco, Lairbert) is a small town in the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town lies in the Forth Valley above the River Carron which flows from the west. Larbert is from the shoreline of the Firth of ...

and

Stenhousemuir Stenhousemuir (; gd, Featha Thaigh nan Clach) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies within the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town is north-northwest of Falkirk and directly adjoins to Larbert in the west, where the nea ...

, and the cluster of Braes villages. The town is at the junction of the Forth and Clyde and Union Canals, a location which proved key to its growth as a centre of

heavy industry Heavy industry is an industry that involves one or more characteristics such as large and heavy products; large and heavy equipment and facilities (such as heavy equipment, large machine tools, huge buildings and large-scale infrastructure); ...

during the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Falkirk was at the centre of the

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in ...

and steel industry, underpinned by the

Carron Company The Carron Company was an ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, Scotland. After initial problems, the company was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom. T ...

in nearby

Carron Carron may refer to: Rivers * River Carron, Forth, a river in Central Scotland * River Carron, Wester Ross * River Carron, Sutherland * Carron River (Queensland), a river in Australia * Carron Water, Aberdeenshire, a river that flows into the Nort ...

. The company was responsible for making

carronades A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main fu ...

for the Royal Navy and later manufactured

pillar box A pillar box is a type of free-standing post box. They are found in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories, and, less commonly, in many members of the Commonwealth of Nations such as Cyprus, India, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Malta, New ...

es and phone boxes. Within the last fifty years, heavy industry has waned, and the economy relies increasingly on retail and tourism. Despite this, Falkirk remains the home of many international companies like

Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, E ...

, the largest bus production company in the United Kingdom. Falkirk has a long association with the publishing industry. The company now known as

Johnston Press Johnston Press plc was a multimedia company founded in Falkirk, Scotland, in 1767. Its flagship titles included UK-national newspaper the '' i'', ''The Scotsman'', the '' Yorkshire Post'', the '' Falkirk Herald'', and Belfast's '' The News Lette ...

was established in the town in 1846. The company, now based in Edinburgh, produces the ''

Falkirk Herald ''The Falkirk Herald'' is a weekly newspaper and daily news website published by National World. It provides reportage, opinion and analysis of news, current affairs and sport in the towns of Falkirk, Grangemouth, Larbert, Stenhousemuir and Den ...

'', the largest selling weekly newspaper in Scotland. Attractions in and around Falkirk include the

Falkirk Wheel The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift in Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland, connecting the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It reconnects the two canals for the first time since the 1930s. It opened in 2002 as part ...

The Helix A helix is a spiral-like space curve. Helix may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Helix (roller coaster), a roller coaster at Liseberg in Gothenburg, Sweden Print * ''The Helix'' (magazine), an Australian teen science bimonthly * ...

The Kelpies ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

, Callendar House and Park and remnants of the

Antonine Wall The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as ''Vallum Antonini'', was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Clyde and the Firth of Forth. Built some ...

. In a 2011 poll conducted by

STV STV may refer to: Television * Satellite television ** Direct-broadcast satellite television (DBSTV) Channels and stations * STV (TV channel), the brand name of ITV broadcasters in central and northern Scotland ** Scottish Television, now le ...

, it was voted as Scotland's most beautiful town, ahead of

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

and

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

in second and third place respectively.

History

''An Eaglais Bhreac'' is a derivative formed from the

Scottish Gaelic Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well a ...

cognate In historical linguistics, cognates or lexical cognates are sets of words in different languages that have been inherited in direct descent from an etymological ancestor in a common parent language. Because language change can have radical e ...

of the first recorded name ''Ecclesbrith'' from the Brittonic for "speckled church", presumably referring to a church building built of many-coloured stones. The Scottish Gaelic name was

calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...

d into

Scots Scots usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: * Scots language, a language of the West Germanic language family native to Scotland * Scots people, a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland * Scoti, a Latin na ...

as ''Fawkirk'' (literally "variegated church"), then later amended to the modern English name of ''Falkirk''. The

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

name ''Varia Capella'' also has the same meaning.placesnamesF-J, Iain Mac an Tàilleir
www.scottish.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2008-07-12

Falkirk Old Parish Church Falkirk Old & St. Modan's Parish Church also known as "Falkirk Trinity Church" is a congregation of the Church of Scotland in Falkirk, central Scotland. The medieval Old Parish Church is located in the centre of Falkirk, and may have been founded ...

stands on the site of the medieval church, which may have been founded as early as the 7th century. The

, which stretches across the centre of Scotland, passed through the town and remnants of it can be seen at Callendar Park. Similar to Hadrian's Wall but built of turf rather than stone so less of it has survived, it marked the northern

frontier A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts ...

of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post- Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Medite ...

between the

Firth of Forth The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south. Name ''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meanin ...

and

Firth of Clyde The Firth of Clyde is the mouth of the River Clyde. It is located on the west coast of Scotland and constitutes the deepest coastal waters in the British Isles (it is 164 metres deep at its deepest). The firth is sheltered from the Atlantic ...

during the AD 140s.Frontiers of the Roman Empire - History
www.antoninewall.org. Retrieved 2011-04-29 Much of the best evidence of Roman occupation in Scotland has been found in Falkirk, including a large hoard of

Roman coins Roman currency for most of Roman history consisted of gold, silver, bronze, orichalcum and copper coinage. From its introduction to the Republic, during the third century BC, well into Imperial times, Roman currency saw many changes in form, de ...

and a cloth of

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

, thought to be the oldest ever recorded.THE ROMAN COIN HOARD AND THE FALKIRK TARTAN
www.falkirklocalhistorysociety.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-29 A Roman fort was confirmed to be found by Geoff Bailey in the Pleasance area of Falkirk in 1991. A Roman themed park at

Callendar House Callendar House is a mansion set within the grounds of Callendar Park in Falkirk, central Scotland. During the 19th century, it was redesigned and extended in the style of a French Renaissance château fused with elements of Scottish baronial ...

was awarded lottery funding to help raise awareness of the wall. In the 18th century the area was the cradle of Scotland's

, becoming the earliest major centre of the iron-casting industry. James Watt cast some of the beams for his early

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be ...

designs at the

Carron Iron Works The Carron Company was an ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, Scotland. After initial problems, the company was at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution in the United Kingdom. Th ...

in 1765. The area was at the forefront of

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface fl ...

construction when the

Forth and Clyde Canal The Forth and Clyde Canal is a canal opened in 1790, crossing central Scotland; it provided a route for the seagoing vessels of the day between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. This allowe ...

opened in 1790.Forth and Clyde Canal
www.forthandclyde.org.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-29 The

Union Canal Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

(1822) provided a link to

and early railway development followed in the 1830s and 1840s.History of the Union Canal
www.scottishcanals.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-29 The canals brought economic wealth to Falkirk and led to the town's growth. Through time, trunk roads and motorways followed the same canal corridors through the Falkirk area, linking the town with the rest of Scotland. Many companies set up work in Falkirk due to its expansion. A large brickworks was set up at this time, owned by the

Howie Howie is a Scottish locational surname derived from a medieval estate in Ayrshire, southwest Scotland. While its ancient name is known as "The lands of How", its exact location is lost to time. The word "How", predating written history, appears t ...

family. During the 19th century, Falkirk became the first town in Great Britain to have a fully automated system of street lighting, designed and implemented by a local firm, Thomas Laurie & Co Ltd.1.2.5 Civic Administration
www.falkirk.gov.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-29

Battles of Falkirk

Two important battles have taken place at Falkirk: *The

Battle of Falkirk The Battle of Falkirk (''Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice'' in Gaelic), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by King Edward I of England, the English army defeated the Scots, led by William W ...

fought on 22 July 1298, saw the defeat of

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at ...

by King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Duchy of Aquitaine, Aquitaine and D ...

. *The

Battle of Falkirk Muir The Battle of Falkirk Muir (Scottish Gaelic: ''Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice''), also known as the Battle of Falkirk, took place on 17 January 1746 during the Jacobite rising of 1745. Although it resulted in a Jacobite victory, their inability to t ...

took place on 17 January 1746, the Jacobites under

Charles Edward Stuart Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (20 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, grandson of James II and VII, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland and ...

defeated a government army commanded by Lieutenant General

Henry Hawley Henry Hawley (12 January 1685 – 24 March 1759) was a British army officer who served in the wars of the first half of the 18th century. He fought in a number of significant battles, including the Capture of Vigo in 1719, Dettingen, F ...

Government and politics

In terms of local government the town sits at the heart of Falkirk Council area, one of the 32 unitary authorities of Scotland formed by the

Local Government etc (Scotland) Act 1994 The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 (c. 39) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which created the current local government structure of 32 unitary authorities covering the whole of Scotland. It abolished the two-tier s ...

. The headquarters of the council are located in the Municipal Buildings, adjacent to FTH Theatre, on West Bridge Street in the centre of town. The Council was the first

local government in Scotland Local government in Scotland comprises thirty-two local authorities, commonly referred to as councils. Each council provides public services, including education, social care, waste management, libraries and planning. Councils receive the ma ...

to be governed by the Labour Party, in 1921. It has been led by a

Scottish National Party The Scottish National Party (SNP; sco, Scots National Pairty, gd, Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba ) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from ...

minority since 2017. The current Leader of the Council is Cllr Cecil Meiklejohn. The FTH Theatre (the "Falkirk Town Hall Theatre") in West Bridge Street was commissioned to replace the old town hall in Newmarket Street which was demolished in 1968. Falkirk is located within the Scottish parliamentary constituency of Falkirk West which elects one

Member of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; gd, Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, BPA; sco, Memmer o the Scots Pairliament, MSP) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The add ...

(MSP) under the

first past the post system In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

. The current MSP is Michael Matheson, who won the seat at the 2007 Scottish Parliament General Election. The previous MSP,

Dennis Canavan Dennis Andrew Canavan (born 8 August 1942) is a Scottish politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Falkirk West from 1974 to 2000 (known as West Stirlingshire from 1974 to 1983), first as a member of the Labour Party, and then as an I ...

, who sat as an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

, was elected with the largest majority in the Scottish parliament representing Falkirk's electorate's displeasure with

New Labour New Labour was a period in the history of the British Labour Party from the mid to late 1990s until 2010 under the leadership of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. The name dates from a conference slogan first used by the party in 1994, later seen ...

, but stepped down in 2007 for family reasons. Canavan, who announced in an open letter to his constituents in January 2007, that he was stepping down from representative politics at the

Scottish Parliament election, 2007 The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. 2007 Scottish local elections, ...

had been an MSP or MP for the area for over 30 years. The constituency of Falkirk West also sits in the Central Scotland Scottish Parliament electoral region which returns seven MSPs under the additional member system used to elect Members of the Scottish Parliament. In the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom, supreme Legislature, legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of We ...

, the town is entirely contained within the UK parliamentary constituency of

Falkirk Falkirk ( gd, An Eaglais Bhreac, sco, Fawkirk) is a large town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a ...

which elects one member to the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

under the

plurality Plurality may refer to: Voting * Plurality (voting), or relative majority, when a given candidate receives more votes than any other but still fewer than half of the total ** Plurality voting, system in which each voter votes for one candidate and ...

system. The constituency also takes in surrounding villages and is currently represented by John McNally of the

. Traditionally, Falkirk had been seen as a stronghold for the Labour Party. Prior to

Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAE ...

in 2020 it was part of the pan-Scotland

European Parliament constituency Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are elected by the population of the member states of the European Union (EU). The European Electoral Act 2002 allows member states the choice to allocate electoral subdivisions or constituencies (, ...

which elected six

Members of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

(MEP)s using the

d'Hondt method The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is a method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in party-list proportional representation systems. It belongs to the class of highe ...

party-list proportional representation Party-list proportional representation (list-PR) is a subset of proportional representation electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected (e.g., elections to parliament) through their position on an electoral list. They can also be u ...

Geography

Falkirk and Stenhousemuir from the air (geograph 5229656)

Falkirk is located in an area of undulating topography between the

Slamannan Plateau The Slamannan Plateau is a geographic area and special protection area in the Central Belt of Scotland which encompasses the small villages of Slamannan, Limerigg and Caldercruix. It is situated 5 km south of Falkirk and about 4 km e ...

and the upper reaches of the

. The area to the north of Falkirk is part of the floodplain of the River Carron. Two tributaries of the River Carron - the ''East Burn'' and the ''West Burn'' flow through the town and form part of its natural drainage system.Milne et al. (1975) p1 Falkirk sits at between 50 metres (164 ft) and 125 metres (410 ft)

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The ...

.Milne et al. (1975) p2 The underlying geology of the town of Falkirk is characterised by glacial deposits. Elevations above are covered by a mixture of glacial till and

boulder clay Boulder clay is an unsorted agglomeration of clastic sediment that is unstratified and structureless and contains gravel of various sizes, shapes, and compositions distributed at random in a fine-grained matrix. The fine-grained matrix consists ...

with low-lying areas covered by

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a soil texture, textur ...

y soils and

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand ( particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

s. As Falkirk is not far from the coast, post-glacial features akin to

raised beach A raised beach, coastal terrace,Pinter, N (2010): 'Coastal Terraces, Sealevel, and Active Tectonics' (educational exercise), from 2/04/2011/ref> or perched coastline is a relatively flat, horizontal or gently inclined surface of marine origin, ...

es are particularly predominant to the north of the town centre, and this gives rise to differing elevations within the town. Unsorted glacial till gives rise to such features of glacial deposition as

esker An esker, eskar, eschar, or os, sometimes called an ''asar'', ''osar'', or ''serpent kame'', is a long, winding ridge of stratified sand and gravel, examples of which occur in glaciated and formerly glaciated regions of Europe and North Ame ...

s, and

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidate ...

s which are predominant over much of the area. Such elements provide natural transport routes and it is this complex underlying geology that the town is built upon.

Climate

Like much of the rest of Scotland, Falkirk has a

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

, which is relatively mild despite its northerly

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north po ...

. Winters are especially mild given that

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

and

Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...

lie on the same latitude, with daytime temperatures rarely falling below . Summer temperatures are comparatively cool, with daily upper maxima rarely exceeding . The proximity of the town to the sea mitigates any large variations in temperature or extremes of climate. The prevailing wind direction is from the south-west, which is associated with warm, unstable air from the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the Uni ...

that gives rise to rainfall. Winds from an easterly direction are usually drier but colder. Rainfall is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. Vigorous Atlantic depressions - sometimes called

European windstorms European windstorms are powerful extratropical cyclones which form as cyclonic windstorms associated with areas of low atmospheric pressure. They can occur throughout the year, but are most frequent between October and March, with peak inten ...

can affect the town between October and March. The highest recorded temperature was 31.5C in August 2010.

Demography

The

United Kingdom Census 2001 A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

identified the town as having a total resident population of 32,422.No 3 - 2001 Census Population of settlements and wards
www.falkirk.gov.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-29 The population was estimated at 34,570 in 2008 which makes the town the 20th most populous settlement in Scotland. The wider Falkirk area which includes

and

has an overall population of 98,940 making this the 5th largest urban area after

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), ...

and Dundee. The population of the town and surrounding area is forecast to grow over the next ten years, primarily due to net in migration from other parts of Scotland and the UK. Unemployment in the Falkirk area is low at 2.5%, below the Scottish average, but average household income and gross weekly pay are below the comparative Scottish and UK averages.

Economy

Today, the economy of Falkirk is focused on retail and services, in contrast to the heavy industries and manufacturing sectors which contributed to the growth of the town over the last 300 years. Falkirk is a large retail centre catering to the town itself and a wide surrounding area, stretching from

Cumbernauld Cumbernauld (; gd, Comar nan Allt, meeting of the streams) is a large town in the historic county of Dunbartonshire and council area of North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is the tenth most-populous locality in Scotland and the most populated ...

in the west to

in the east.Smith, R (2001) p345 The flagship retailer

Marks and Spencer Marks and Spencer Group plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks's or Marks & Sparks) is a major British multinational retailer with headquarters in Paddington, London that specialises in selling clothing, beauty, home ...

opened a store in Falkirk in 1936. The High Street was pedestrianised in the late 1980s, and the Howgate Shopping Centre opened in April 1990. A number of supermarkets including

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues an ...

Asda Asda Stores Ltd. () (often styled as ASDA) is a British supermarket chain. It is headquartered in Leeds, England. The company was founded in 1949 when the Asquith family merged their retail business with the Associated Dairies company of Yorks ...

Morrisons Wm Morrison Supermarkets, trading as Morrisons, is the fifth largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, the company had 497 supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, as well as one in Gibraltar. The company is headqu ...

and Scottish Co-op have developed on peripheral sites surrounding the town centre in recent years.Smith, R (2001) p346 The public sector and public services also have a foothold in the Falkirk area. Falkirk Council is one of the largest employers in this sphere, with a workforce of over 7,000, many based at the council headquarters in the town centre. One of the principal offices of the UK Child Support Agency, covering Scotland and the north east of England, is located in the Callendar Business Park on the outskirts of Falkirk. Similarly the NHSScotland, National Health Service (NHS) and Department for Work and Pensions have a presence in the town and employ local residents. Many Falkirk residents are also employed within the petrochemicals sector based in neighbouring

where there is an wikt:agglomeration, agglomeration of such industries underpinned by the Ineos (formerly BP) oil refinery located there.

, one of the world's largest bus manufacturers, is headquartered in Falkirk with the operations plant located nearby.

Infrastructure

Health

Falkirk is administered by NHS Scotland, NHS Forth Valley, this includes the unitary authorities of Falkirk (council area), Falkirk, Stirling (council area), Stirling and Clackmannanshire. Following the opening of the new Forth Valley Royal Hospital, the Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary was renamed Falkirk Community HospitalHealthcare Strategy - Falkirk Community Hospital
www.nhsforthvalley.com. Retrieved 2011-04-30 with many of the main services, including the accident and emergency unit being transferred. Falkirk Community Hospital will still provide many services like podiatry and palliative care. The Community Hospital continues to have a Minor Injury Unit, to treat emergency cases of a non life-threatening nature. In-patient and community services at Bonnybridge Hospital will re-locate to Falkirk Community Hospital in 2012, once new modern, en-suite accommodation has been developed. A new purpose built dental centre, Langlees Dental Centre, provides a "teach and treat" dental centre in the Langlees area of Falkirk opened in August 2009. It has seven dental surgeries and is involved in training final year students at Glasgow Dental School.

Transport

Roads

The Falkirk (district), Falkirk Area occupies a central position in Scotland, with direct access from the key north-south and east-west motorway networks: the M9 motorway (Scotland), M9 from the north and east and the M876 motorway, M876 from the west. Falkirk has main rail and canal routes within easy reach from

and

; it is central to access to both Glasgow Airport, Glasgow and Edinburgh Airport, Edinburgh airports. Falkirk is well situated both for access by rail from England and for access to other parts of Scotland excluding Fife, which has no direct rail link to Falkirk other than morning and evening commuter services from Kirkcaldy to Glasgow. Road access is to Fife provided by the Kincardine Bridge, Clackmannanshire Bridge and the Forth Road Bridge, via the M9.

Railway

Falkirk has two railway stations: Falkirk High railway station, Falkirk High and Falkirk Grahamston railway station, Falkirk Grahamston. Falkirk High is on the main Glasgow to Edinburgh via Falkirk Line, Glasgow-Edinburgh line, with connections to either city running on a 15-minute frequency. At peak times, 8 trains per hour stop: 4 for Glasgow Queen Street railway station, Glasgow Queen Street via Croy railway station, Croy and 4 for Edinburgh Waverley railway station, Edinburgh Waverley, via Polmont railway station, Polmont and Linlithgow railway station, Linlithgow. Journey times to Edinburgh vary from 24 minutes to 35 minutes, depending on stopping stations and time of day; the journey time is between 18 and 28 minutes to Glasgow. Falkirk Grahamston lies on the Edinburgh to Dunblane Line. To Edinburgh Waverley railway station, Edinburgh Waverley, there are 4 trains per hour, with journey times varying from 25 minutes to 34 minutes; faster trains stop at Edinburgh Park and Haymarket, slower trains additionally stop at Polmont railway station, Polmont and Linlithgow railway station, Linlithgow. To Glasgow Queen Street railway station, Glasgow Queen Street, there are 2 trains per hour via the Cumbernauld Line with journey times from 39 minutes to 43 minutes, plus an evening express service (the 17.33 from Glasgow to Markinch) taking 26 minutes. There is also a daily direct service to/from London (London King's Cross railway station, King's Cross) provided by London North Eastern Railway and the ''Caledonian Sleeper'' to Euston railway station, London Euston in the southbound direction only also calls here. The main station building was opened in 1985 and serves over 950,000 passenger journeys each year.

Buses

Falkirk bus station lies in the town centre and has bus routes providing links to the cities of Stirling, Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as local routes.

Education

Falkirk is home to one of the four campuses of Forth Valley College which was formed on 1 August 2005 from the merger of Falkirk,

and Clackmannan colleges. The Falkirk Campus is by far the largest of the four campuses.

Secondary schools

Falkirk District is served by eight high schools which have all been recently rebuilt.

Culture

Falkirk hosted a national arts festival which ran in Callendar Park from 2000–2009 called Big in Falkirk, Big In Falkirk. After its inception in 2000, the festival won Scottish Thistle Award for Events & Festivals in 2005. Consisting of a free weekend of events, the festival was one of the largest cultural events in Scotland, attracting over 100,000 people. Hosted in Falkirk’s historical Callendar Park, the venue covers with

as the focal point, the entertainment featured a wide variety of outdoor theatre, pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic displays, arts, comedy and big name music acts, alongside activities for all ages. Falkirk hosted the Royal National Mòd in 2008.List of Mod's places
for each year on Sabhal Mòr Ostaig website The Gold medals were won by Falkirk resident Lyle Kennedy and Kerrie Finlay from Inverness. Interest in Gaelic has grown in Falkirk since the Mòd and there are now five Gaelic organisations active in the Falkirk area: An Clas Gàidhlig (provides Gaelic lessons to adults), An Comunn Gàidhealach Meur na h-Eaglaise Brice (is the local branch of An Comunn Gàidhealach), Fèis Fhoirt (provides traditional music and Gaelic song tuition for children and adults), Falkirk Gaelic Forum (promotes Gaelic in Falkirk) and Falkirk Junior Gaelic Choir (is a long established and successful youth choir).

Media

Falkirk is served by a weekly newspaper, the ''

'', which is published by

. The company was established by the Johnston family from Falkirk, who have been involved in publishing since 1767. The family acquired the ''Herald'', their first newspaper, in 1846. The publishing company was renamed F Johnston & Co Ltd in 1882, a title it would retain until it was floated on the London Stock Exchange as Johnston Press in 1988. The corporate headquarters of Johnston Press are now in Edinburgh, but the company retains two offices in Falkirk and Grangemouth.

Recreation

The historical

is an imposing mansion with a 600-year history which is now a museum and also has a cafe and shop. The Park Gallery, a contemporary art gallery is also based in the house. 2007-07-04-06151 GreatBritain Falkirk

Landmarks

The

, the only rotary canal connector in the world, is located within Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The attraction was completed in 2002 and it connects the

to the

.The Falkirk Wheel - History
www.thefalkirkwheel.co.uk. Retrieved 2011-04-30 On Falkirk High Street lies the Falkirk Steeple. The current building was built in 1814 and is protected as a category A listed building. A stylised image of the steeple appears on the crest of Falkirk Football Club. It is widely regarded as the centre point of the town.

Religion

The 2001 census showed the majority of the population claim to belong to one of the Christian denominations with 48% of these being Church of Scotland, 12% being Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, Roman Catholic, and 5% belonging to other Christian denominations. 29% of people belong to no religion, about 1% above the Religion in Scotland#Statistics, national figure. The Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Falkirk includes congregations in Bo'ness, Bonnybridge, Cumbernauld, Grangemouth and Larbert, as well as Falkirk.

Sport

Football

Men's

Falkirk currently has three men's association football, football teams, Falkirk F.C., Falkirk Football Club, Stenhousemuir F.C. and East Stirlingshire F.C., East Stirlingshire Football Club. Falkirk Stadium - geograph

Falkirk F.C. was founded in 1876 and was elected to compete in the Scottish Football League in 1902–03 in Scottish football, 1902. The club's highest ranking came in the 1907–08 in Scottish football, 1907–08 season and once again in 1909–10 in Scottish football, 1909–10 when the club finished runners-up of Division One, the country's top football division, losing out to Celtic F.C. on both occasions. The club has reached the final of the Scottish Cup on five occasions, emerging victorious twice in 1912–13 Scottish Cup, 1913 and 1956–57 Scottish Cup, 1957 respectively. The club currently competes in the Scottish League One and plays their home games at the Falkirk Stadium near Grangemouth. The town's other men's club, East Stirlingshire F.C., was founded in 1881 originally as ''Bainsford Britannia'' and has competed in the Scottish Football League since 1900–01 in Scottish football, 1900. The club has predominantly played in the lower leagues of Scottish football, spending only two whole seasons in the top division after being promoted from Division Two in 1931–32 in Scottish football, 1931–32 and 1962–63 in Scottish football, 1962–63. The club currently competes in the Lowland Football League and from the 2018-19 season will play their home games at the Falkirk Stadium following a groundshare agreement with Falkirk F.C. Firs Park was the home of the club for the majority of the club's existence but was vacated at the end of the 2007/08 season.

Women's

Falkirk currently has two women's association football, football teams, Central Girls Football Academy and Falkirk L.F.C., Falkirk Ladies. Central play in the second tier Scottish Women's Premier League, (SWPL2) and Falkirk play in the third tier Scottish Women's Football League, (SWFL) of women's football.

Roller Derby

Falkirk is home to Scotland's first Co-ed Roller Derby League. Clubs from the area are the Skelpies men's team, the Central Belters women's team and the Belter Skelpers Co-ed team.

Rugby

Falkirk RFC, Falkirk Rugby Club can trace their roots to 1906 when F.R.F.C. was first formed. It was disbanded at the start of World War I. In 1972 the club was resurrected when the works team from ICI Grangemouth decided to become "open" and looked for a new home. They initially played at Stirling Road playing fields before building their clubhouse at the present site at Sunnyside in 1981. The club has risen through the ranks of rugby winning six consecutive promotions, five of them as league champions, a Scottish record.

Hockey

Falkirk also has a Hockey team, Falkirk GHG Hockey Club, which was formed from the merger of Graeme High School Former Pupils Hockey Club and Grangemouth Hockey Club in 1999. It now has four men's teams which play in various leagues, with their first team playing in the national league.

Basketball

Falkirk Fury Basketball Club, currently called Clark Eriksson Fury Basketball Club in a Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship deal with local firm Clark Eriksson, represents the town in the sport.Clark Eriksson Falkirk Fury Basketball Club
, Retrieved 2012-02-10. The team was established in 1992 and originally consisted of players from Falkirk High School and sports development players. Today the team competes in all 6 Scottish National Age Groups. The men's side currently competes in the Scottish Basketball League, Scottish Men's National League, the top league in Scottish basketball and is considered the second tier of British basketball below the British Basketball League, BBL and in line with the English Basketball League. The club plays home games at the Mariner Centre in

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or sometimes at the Grangemouth sports complex. Boxing Falkirk Boxing Club was once running above the town's oldest pub The Wheatsheaf bar and bore such names as welterweight Jim Boyle and heavyweight Dearn Savage.

Archery

Falkirk has a number of archery clubs in and around the greater Falkirk area: * Falkirk Company of Archers was established in 1971 and is affiliated to the Scottish Archery Association (SAA) which is a region of the national governing body; Archery GB. During summer, members shoot outdoors on Sunnyside playing fields and during winter members shoot indoors at Woodlands Games Hall. The club is a target archery club with most members shooting recurve bow, though traditional archery has made a resurgence in the club recently with some members shooting barebows, horse bows and longbow.

Twin towns

Falkirk is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Créteil, FranceFalkirk Twinning Association
, www.falkirktwinning.org Retrieved 2011-05-07 * Odenwald, Germany * Quimper, France * San Rafael, California, USA

Notable people

Art and literature

* Alan Bissett - a Scottish novelist * Elizabeth Blackadder, Dame Elizabeth Blackadder - artist * Alan Davie - artist (born

) * Janet Paisley - poet, playwright, author * Stuart Reid (children's book author), Stuart Reid - children's book author

Business and industry

* James Aitken (writer) - writer (lawyer) c. 1778 - 1818 * Walter Alexander - millionaire founder of Walter Alexander Coachbuilders in Falkirk, later to become the world's largest builder of coaches and buses,

* Robert Barr - founder of Barr's which makes Irn-Bru started his business at Burnfoot Lane, Falkirk * Adam Crozier - chief executive of ITV plc and former chief executive of the The Football Association, Football Association * Captain Robert Dollar - the Scottish-American businessman, was born in Falkirk and maintained a house there, which is now the centre of Dollar Park * William Forbes of Callendar - the proprietor of Carron Iron Works, was the largest landowner in Stirlingshire, and was seated in the centre of Falkirk at

* Henry Adolph Salvesen naval architect and exporter * James Walker (engineer) - influential civil engineer of the first half of the 19th century * Sir John Wilson, 1st Baronet - made a fortune as a coal-master and built Bantaskine House on the South Bantaskine Estate, Falkirk. He was Unionist MP for Falkirk and was made a baronet

Historical

* The Earl of Linlithgow, Earls of Callendar and Linlithgow - were seated in the centre of Falkirk, at

, before being stripped of their titles. Other peers historically connected to the area include the Marquess of Zetland whose estate was in Grangemouth, the Earl of Dunmore who owned the nearby Dunmore Pineapple, Pineapple, Lord Thurlow of Kinnaird, the Duke of Montrose and the Duke of Hamilton. The Bolton baronets of Carronhall were also seated near Falkirk, as were the Bruce baronets, Bruce baronets of Stenhouse, of whom the actor Nigel Bruce was a member, growing up at Stenhouse Castle.

Media and entertainment

* Kaye Adams - Television presenter * Ruth Connell - Actress and producer * Elizabeth Fraser - Founding member and lead singer of the band from Grangemouth Cocteau Twins * Robin Guthrie - Founding member and guitarist of the band from Grangemouth Cocteau Twins, music producer * Brian McNeill - Founding member of the Battlefield Band, Scottish folk singer * Forbes Masson - Actor and Writer * Malcolm Middleton, David Gow and Aidan Moffat of the post-folk band Arab Strap (band), Arab Strap * Euan Morton - Actor and Singer, known for his role as Boy George in the musical Taboo (musical), Taboo * David Paisley - Actor and Singer

Politics and society

* Elizabeth Caradus - Suffragette and Temperance activist * Tommy Douglas - Scottish-Canadian social democratic politician, who is often cited as "father" of Canada's Medicare (Canada), single-payer public health insurance system. Voted the "greatest Canadian of all time" in a nationwide poll * Thomas W. Howie - Former Falkirk councillor * John McAleese - team leader during the Special Air Service, SAS assault on the Iranian Embassy siege, Iranian embassy in May 1980 (brought up in Laurieston, Falkirk, Laurieston) * Sheila McKechnie - Scottish trade unionist, housing campaigner and consumer activist * David S. Muir, David Muir - former Director of Political Strategy to former Prime Minister Gordon Brown * Robert D. Wilson - American politician and farmer; served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and was born in Falkirk *Iain Lindsay, British diplomat *Jack MacDonald (communist), Jack MacDonald - Scottish-Canadian communist politician, leader of the Communist Party of Canada between 1923 and 1929

Science and technology

* John Aitken (scientist), John Aitken - physicist and meteorologist, operated from a laboratory in his home in Falkirk, where he first detected atmospheric dust particles using the koniscope, his invention. * Ernest Masson Anderson -geologist, born in Falkirk * Bill Buchanan (professor) - Leading computer security expert and author of many academic books. * George Forrest (botanist), George Forrest - a Scottish botanist. Famous for bringing back over 30,000 specimens of 10,000 plants mostly from the Yunnan Province of China. *John McQueen Johnston FRSE- physician and pharmacologist *George McRoberts FRSE (1839-1896) explosives expert * Alfred Nobel befriended McRoberts and set up a detonator factory in Falkirk, living at Hawthorn Cottage in the Laurieston district for several years * George Trapp (educator) - scientist and headmaster * Eric Vance - Chemist responsible for the coloration of Nomex, the essential fabric of most military uniforms, effectively designing the future of camouflage. * Henry Wade - Military and urological surgeon

Sport and recreation

* Nicola Docherty - Rangers W.F.C. & Internationalist footballer * Brown Ferguson - former footballer & current Manager of Stenhousemuir F.C. * Steve Frew - Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist.Grangemouth Gymnast who won Scotland’s first Gymnastics Gold Medal in Commonwealth Games history. * Bob Mauchline - footballer * Bob McGregor - Swimmer who won silver in the 100m Freestyle at the 1964 Olympic Games * John Meechan — footballer, centre-forward * Charles Melville (cricketer), Charles Melville – cricketer * Willie Ormond - former Hibernian F.C., Hibs & Internationalist footballer * David Provan (footballer, born 1941), David Provan - former Rangers F.C., Rangers & Plymouth Argyle F.C., Plymouth Argyle footballer * Leanne Ross - Glasgow City F.C. & Internationalist footballer * Tam Scobbie - former Falkirk F.C., Falkirk & St. Johnstone F.C., St. Johnstone footballer * Alex Scott (footballer, born 1936), Alex Scott - former Rangers F.C., Rangers, Everton F.C, Everton & Internationalist footballer * Eddie Turnbull - former Hibernian F.C., Hibs & Internationalist footballer * David Weir (Scottish footballer), David Weir - former association football, footballer *Alex Wood (ice hockey) ice hockey player

References

Sources

*Dowds, T (2003): "The Forth and Clyde Canal - A History". Tuckwell Press. *Macleod, I (2004): "The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Scotland". Lomond Books, Edinburgh. *Milne, D; Leitch, A; Duncan, A; Bairner, J & Johnston, J (1975): "The Falkirk and Grangemouth Area". Paper for the Scottish Association of Geography Teachers' (SAGT) conference, October 1975. Moray House College of Education, Edinburgh. *Nimmo W (1880): "The History of Stirlingshire, Third Edition" Vol II. Hamilton, Adams and Company, Glasgow. *Smith, R (2001): "The Making of Scotland". Canongate Books, Edinburgh.

External links

Falkirk Council WebsiteFalkirk Community Trust WebsiteList of Falkirk Schools
{{Authority control Falkirk, Schools in Falkirk (council area) Towns in Falkirk (council area)