KINNEIL MUSEUM
Excellent little museum housed in the 17th century stable block of Kinneil House. Open six days a week, from Monday to Saturday from 12.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission free. Features shop, audio visual show, displays and artefacts dating back to Roman Times. An excellent place to start your visit.
Visit the Kinneil Museum webpage
Visit the Scottish Museums’ Council page on Kinneil Museum
KINNEIL HOUSE
Historic home of the Dukes of Hamilton. Dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Open on selected days throughout the year. Guides from The Friends of Kinneil take people through the House and tell its fascinating story. Look out for the rare renaissance wall paintings – said to be the best in Scotland – and the resident ghost. Free admission. Check with Kinneil Museum for information on the next open days.
Visit the Kinneil House webpage on the Historic Scotland site
Enjoy a virtual tour inside the House (uses Adobe Flash technology)
Download a 1940 report on the paintings inside Kinneil House (large PDF)
KINNEIL CHURCH
Ruins of the 12th century church at Kinneil lie a short distance to the west of Kinneil House. Just walk over the bridge, crossing a rocky ravine, to reach the site. The site is one of the earliest places for religious worship in the area. It was abandoned in the 17th century and partly destroyed by fire shortly after. All that remains is the western gable end and some historic gravestones. A bell from the church can be seen in Kinneil Museum.
KINNEIL ROMAN FORTLET
One of the milecastles built by the Romans around 140 AD as part of the Antonine Wall, the Empire’s most northerly frontier. Part of the roadway into the fortlet has been excavated. Posts and paving slabs mark the outline of the fortlet buildings. The line of the wall has also been partly reconstructed. Remains from the fortlet, and more information, can be seen in Kinneil Museum.
Download a PDF telling you more about the excavations at Kinneil Fortlet
Read more about Kinneil on the Roman Britain website.
JAMES WATT’S COTTAGE
Small outbuilding, to the rear of Kinneil House, where inventor James Watt worked on his development of the steam engine. The experiments were supported by industrialist John Roebuck, who was living in Kinneil House at the time. The building, which now has no roof or door, dates back to the mid 1700s.
You can find out about Watt on the Science Museum website (Flash presentation)
KINNEIL WOODS AND ESTATE
You can also visit the surrounding acres of woodland and two ponds – and see coots, buzzards and swans – plus many other animals. There are occasional guided walks through the park. Check with Kinneil Museum for details.
A walk around the Woods and estate is listed on the Walking Scotland website
This route and associated map is available and can be found in the Footprint Guide ‘Falkirk & Bo’ness’ available from Tourist Information Centres or from our online store.
These publications were produced as part of the Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. They are now located online and can be downloaded free of charge for private study.
Find out more about Kinneil Estate on the Undiscovered Scotland website and the Bo’ness website.
