Falkirk (council area)

Falkirk ( FAWL-kurk; Scots: Fawkirk [ˈfɔːkɪrk]; Scottish Gaelic: 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 of three parts of the Central region created in 1975, which was abolished at that time. Prior to the 1975 reorganisation, the majority of the council area was part of the historic county of Stirlingshire, and a small part, namely Bo'ness and Blackness, was part of the former county of West Lothian. The council area borders with North Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Lothian, and, across the Firth of Forth to the northeast, Clackmannanshire and Fife. The largest town is Falkirk; other settlements, most of which surround Falkirk within 6 miles (9.7 km) of its centre, include Bo'ness, Bonnybridge, Denny, Grangemouth, Larbert, Polmont, Shieldhill, Camelon and Stenhousemuir. The council is led by the SNP which won 12 seats in the 2022 Council Election. The incumbent leader of is councillor Cecil Meiklejohn; the provost is Robert Bissett and the deputy provost is David Balfour.

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Glen Village

Glen Village is a settlement in the Falkirk council area of Scotland, situated at the southern end of Callendar Park, and around 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Falkirk town centre. It adjoins the housing estate of Hallglen, with the two localities counted together in most official statistics.

Westerglen transmitting station

The Westerglen transmitting station is a facility for longwave and mediumwave broadcasting established in 1932 at Westerglen Farm, 2 miles (3 km) southwest of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scotland (grid reference NS868773).

Falkirk Tunnel

Falkirk Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Edinburgh and Glasgow Union Canal dug through Prospect Hill in Falkirk, Scotland. Completed in 1822, the tunnel is 630 metres long. It was built because the owner of Callendar House had objected to the planned canal spoiling the view from their property. The murderers Burke and Hare worked on the construction of the tunnel as labourers.

Battle of Falkirk Muir

The Battle of Falkirk Muir, or Battle of Falkirk, took place near Falkirk, Scotland, on 17 January 1746 during the Jacobite rising of 1745. A narrow Jacobite victory, it had little impact on the campaign. After their withdrawal from England in December 1745, the Jacobite army besieged Stirling Castle in early January. Lacking siege equipment, they made little progress and government forces under Henry Hawley advanced north from Edinburgh to relieve it. He reached Falkirk on 15 January but was taken by surprise when the Jacobites attacked late in the afternoon of 17 January. Fought in failing light and heavy snow, Hawley's left wing was routed but his right held firm, and both sides believed themselves to have been defeated. As a result, the Jacobites failed to follow up their victory, allowing the government troops to regroup in Edinburgh. Hawley was replaced by Duke of Cumberland, who resumed the advance on 30 January, forcing the Jacobite army to withdraw to Inverness. The rebellion later ended at the Battle of Culloden in April. The battlefield has been inventoried and protected by Historic Scotland under the Historic Environment (Amendment) Act 2011.