The 200-acre Kinneil Estate encompasses buildings and archaeological remains that evidence human occupation over a period of 2000 years. These include a section of the Roman Antonine Wall, with visible remains of a fortlet, and Kinneil House, the earliest parts of which were originally a 15th Century Tower House. Both of these sites are ‘properties in care of the state’, managed by Historic Environment Scotland, with the Antonine Wall forming part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. Kinneil House itself is best known for its architecture and the painted interiors in the ‘Palace’ section of the House, which date from the 16th and 17th Centuries. In the 18th Century, a workshop to the rear of the main House was used by engineer James Watt to develop improvements to steam engine technology for which he would become famous.
The wider Estate includes gardens, private residences, the ruins of Kinneil Church, built in the 12th Century, and the site of Kinneil village, now park and woodland that is popular with walkers, bikers and horse-riders. Gravestones and a carved cross have been moved into the Palace section of the House, together with architectural fragments from other parts of the building. There is a small Museum with information about the Estate located in a 17th Century stable block near the front of the House.
Kinneil Estate is managed by Falkirk Community Trust on behalf of Falkirk Council. The Friends of Kinneil is a charity established in 2006 to promote and develop the Estate and neighbouring Kinneil Nature Reserve (the foreshore). Volunteer Friends support open days at the House, the running of the museum and a range of other activities on the Estate, such as walks and events. Further details are available on their website and facebook pages.
View Kinneil Estate on GoogleMaps.
View the research Site Report for Kinneil House and Estate.
Dr Elizabeth Robson 