Falkirk

Statistics Principal Town: Falkirk Population (1991): Area (hectares): 29300 Entry Updated: 16-DEC-2008

Local Authority Contact Information Address: Falkirk Council Municipal Buildings Falkirk FK1 5RS

Geography

Situated in the heart of Central Scotland, Falkirk Council area occupies a pivotal position between Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stirling in the valley of the River Forth. It comprises a flat lowland area that is watered by the River Carron and traversed by the Forth and Clyde Canal and Union Canal, and an upland region to the south through which flows the River Avon. Its deposits of coal, clay and ironstone have contributed to the economic wealth of the area and the development of the Falkirk and Grangemouth conurbations.

History

Formerly part of Stirlingshire, Falkirk was one of the three districts of Central Region between 1975 and 1996 after which it became a separate Council area. The industrial development of Falkirk, Grangemouth and Bo'ness largely dates from the founding of the Carron Ironworks in the 1760s and the opening in 1790 of the Forth and Clyde Canal which promoted trade with Glasgow in the west. For nearly a century Falkirk was also the venue of one of Scotland's largest cattle markets and a focal point of cattle-droving from the north. Traversed by the Antonine Wall several of the area's Roman sites have been excavated. At Falkirk Edward I of England defeated William Wallace on the 22nd July 1298 and Prince Charles Edward Stuart defeated Hawley on the 17th January 1746.

Industry

The industrial town of Grangemouth at the head of the Forth estuary is one of Scotland's leading ports and oil refining centres. Fireclay, stone, and sand and gravel extraction are important in addition to metal, building, chemical, engineering, sawmilling, food processing and textile industries and the manufacture of refrigeration and ventilation equipment, electric appliances and data processing equipment.

References and Further Reading

Hendrie, William F. (1996) Discovering the River Forth. John Donald Publishers Ltd., Edinburgh
Jaques, Richard (2001) Falkirk and District: An Illustrated Architectural Guide. The Rutland Press, Edinburgh
Stevenson, J.B. (1985) Exploring Scotland's Heritage: The Clyde Estuary and Central Region. The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and HMSO, Edinburgh

Use the tabs on the right of this page to see other parts of this entry

---

Related Entries

There are 506 related entries.

( 46 Attractions, 5 Council Areas, 2 Historical Counties, 153 Features, 9 Parishes, 3 People and 288 Settlements )

Names that are not linked do not currently contain any information.

©2013 The Editors of The Gazetteer for Scotland
Supported by: The Robertson Trust,  The Royal Scottish Geographical Society,
  School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh.