Callendar house is a mansion set in the grounds of Callendar Park which is quite close to the centre of Falkirk, Scotland. It is currently very much in the form of a French renaissance chateau, having been completely redeveloped in the 19th century. The house is however much older. The current building is built around a 14th century tower but the history of the park goes back to the 2nd century since the Antonine Wall goes straight through the parkland and the first known building on the site was a 12th century Thane Hall.
The French Chateau look (with a hint of Scots gothic) was instigated by the Forbes family in the early to mid 19th century. Prior to the Forbes family ownership the history involved a series of executions of various Scots aristocrats accompanied by confiscations of their properties and acquisition by a vulture fund. The major players in this drama were the Livingston family who were dedicated Jacobites (Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed at the house in 1725 and the Earl of Kilmarnock (husband of Lady Anne Livingston) was executed in 1746.
In 1963 the house and some of the surrounding parkland was purchased by Falkirk Burgh Council and part of the estate was used for the construction of eleven 15 storey housing blocks.
In 2011 the management of the house and the undeveloped part of the parkland was taken over by Falkirk Community Trust. It is being developed as a major heritage centre with the house being used to contain a museum, an art gallery (which hosts many guest exhibitions and the regional records office and (ln the former library) the local records archive. The exhibits in the museum deal with the history of the house itself and the history of Falkirk (particularly the iron industry) and provide numerous opportunities for educational workshops. A very popular exhibit is a replica of a 1960s vinyl record shop. The images speak for themselves.
Know Before You Go
The great thing about the house and the park is that it is all totally free of charge, including parking.
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