The official topping out ceremony has taken place at the site of The Kelpies, completing work on one of the UK's latest pieces of public art.

The cultural landmark, which cost £5m, will be located in Falkirk.

The completion of The Kelpies marks a significant stage in the £43m Helix project, which is transforming 350 hectares of land between Falkirk and Grangemouth, and is funded via a partnership between The Big Lottery Fund, Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals.

The statues form a dramatic centrepiece to The Helix development, which is expected to attract an additional 350,000 visitors and add £1.5 million in annual tourism spend to the area, when it officially opens in 2014.

Standing 30 metres (100ft) tall, they pay homage to the tradition of the working horses of Scotland which used to pull barges along Scotland's canals and worked in the fields in the area where they now stand. They are also situated on either side of a new canal extension which links the Forth & Clyde Canal to the North Sea and are the result of a unique collaboration between the partners and Glasgow-based artist, Andy Scott, which has been seven years in the making.


Throughout the construction process, more than six kilometres and 600 tonnes of structural steel has been used, while more than 10,000 special fixings have been used to secure the 'skin' of the two horses heads (one looking up and one looking down) to the steel framework.

Commenting on the completion, Jackie Killeen, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Director said: "When we launched our Living Landmarks programme it was to support projects of national and regional significance which would be truly transformational for the communities which use them.

"The construction of the Kelpies as well as the development of the wider Helix site has changed Falkirk's landscape forever. The Helix partnership project, which has seen significant community involvement, as a key part in the creation of a physical living landmark, has captured the imagination of the Falkirk and Grangemouth communities changing their outlook through regeneration.

"This is the single biggest investment the Big Lottery Fund has made in Scotland and we are confident that this living landmark will be truly transformational."

Councillor Adrian Mahoney, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, added: "The completion of the giant Kelpies – the world’s largest equine sculptures – is a major milestone. They have attracted international attention and really put the whole Helix project on the map.

"The wider Helix initiative, costing £43 million, will be fully finished next year. It will provide another major tourist attraction for central Scotland and further build the growing tourism economy of the Falkirk Council area.

"Experts are predicting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The Kelpies – easily seen from the main M9 motorway and vantage points around Falkirk district - will be a key part of that attraction and look absolutely stunning. I'd like to congratulate artist Andy Scott and all the team involved in their creation."

Construction work on The Kelpies structures began in June and has been undertaken by Yorkshire-based SH Structures.

Work on the site's visitor and parking facilities is currently underway and the development will officially open to the public in the summer of 2014.

(JP/MH)