THE Friends of Kinneil is working with a range of partners to run a Big Roman Week to mark the birthday of Emperor Antoninus Pius – who built his Roman frontier (a World Heritage Site) through Kinneil and Bo’ness. An Italian Market, talks and other events are planned. The 2009 Week runs from September 14 to 20.

ALL WEEK – Discover Roman artefacts in Kinneil Museum, Kinneil Estate, Bo’ness. During The Big Roman Week: special activities for  children. Play Roman board games or design your own personalised Roman coin. Suitable for children aged 5 to 12 years. All children must be accompanied by a supervisory adult. Museum open Monday to Saturday from 12.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. (and on Sunday, September 20, for Kinneil Heritage Day). Free.

ALL WEEK – SHOP LIKE ROMANS: Discover Italian and Roman themed products across shops in historic Bo’ness Town Centre.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 – FILM: The Antonine Wall (silent),  introduced by archaeologist Geoff Bailey. Hippodrome Cinema, Hope Street, Bo’ness. Film starts at 11 a.m. Cafe opens at 10.30 a.m. Tickets £4.75 (inc. refreshments). Box Office 01324 506850. www.falkirk.gov.uk/hippodrome.*

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – TALK: The Bridgeness Slab. Find out about Bo’ness Community Council’s plans to bring a full-size replica of the Bridgeness Slab – one of the best Roman relics in Britain – to the town.  Bo’ness Library (upstairs), Scotland’s Close, Bo’ness. Starts at 7.30 p.m. Free. In association with the National Museums of Scotland and The Friends of Kinneil.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – ITALIAN MARKET: Sample the fare of  modern-day Romans on Emperor Antoninus Pius’s birthday. Bo’ness Town  Centre, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In association with Bo’ness Town Centre Management.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – FILM: Spartacus (PG). Stanley Kubrick’s epic (3 hrs) Roman movie. Starring Kirk Douglas. Hippodrome Cinema, Hope Street, Bo’ness. Film starts 2.30 p.m. Ticket price £5 (conc. £3.75). Box Office 01324 506850. www.falkirk.gov.uk/hippodrome.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 – KINNEIL HERITAGE DAY, Kinneil Estate, Bo’ness. Visit Kinneil Museum to find out about the Romans and see the Italian Market in the Estate. Historic Kinneil House (on the line of the Roman Antonine Wall) will also be open until 4 p.m. Plus lots of other family fun. Event runs from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. See a full timetable here.

The Big Roman Week has been organised by The Friends of Kinneil in conjunction with Falkirk Council, Town Centre Management and Bo’ness Community Council.

Download a flyer for the event here (PDF)

Click the map below to see all the locations for the Big Roman Week. * You can buy tickets for the Hippodrome direct from the venue – or by phone or in person from the Steeple Box Office in Falkirk.

THE Hunterian Museum in Glasgow has mapped the Antonine Wall from Old Kilpatrick to Bo’ness using Google maps.  See the new map here – and scroll to the left using your mouse to go along the Antonine Wall towards Falkirk.

View Larger Map

TICKETS are now on sale for The Friends of Kinneil Fundraising Dinner. The event takes place at the Richmond Park Hotel, Bo’ness, on Friday, October 16, 2009. The event runs from 7 p.m. until midnight. A three-course dinner, with a half-bottle of wine per person, is on offer – as well as a welcome drink. Around £4 from the £25 ticket price goes to The Friends of Kinneil, a registered charity, which works to promote Kinneil Estate in Bo’ness. Members and non-members are welcome to attend.

The event will also feature a guest speaker – businessman Alan Steel giving a humorous talk about “Old Bo’ness” – a raffle and silent auction, and entertainment from historian and folk singer Ian Scott, a Friends of Kinneil member. Dress is lounge suits and cocktail dresses.

- MENU – THE FRIENDS OF KINNEIL FUNDRAISING DINNER -

Richmond Park Hotel, Bo’ness – October 16, 2009

 

Starters:

Breaded Mushrooms with Garlic Dip

A Trio Fanned Melon & Mixed Berries

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Mains:

Roast Silverside of Beef with Yorkshire Pudding

8oz Salmon Served with Lemon Butter Sauce

Chicken Stuffed with Haggis with a Whisky Sauce

Vegetarian option available on request

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Dessert:

Apple Pie (with cream or ice cream)

Ice Cream

Cheeseboard

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Tea or Coffee with Dinner Mints

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followed by Guest Speaker, Entertainment and Raffle and Auction.

 Tickets, priced £25 each, are available from Maria Ford, Membership Secretary, The Friends of Kinneil, 16 Craigallan Park, Bo’ness, EH51 9QY; telephone 01506 510629; email: maria@kinneil.org.uk. Please make any cheques payable to “The Friends of Kinneil”. Please tell us when booking if you have any special dietary requirements.

THE two-disc DVD set, featuring the new Bo’ness Fair documentary, "The Best Day Of The Year", and historic archive footage of the Fair, is back on sale at Kinneil Museum.

Copies quickly sold out after it went on sale at the Museum a few weeks ago. The film, premiered at the Hippodrome Cinema in May, was originally only available by mail order.

Kinneil Museum, run by Falkirk Council, is open throughout the year, from Monday to Saturday, from 12.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. As well as a small retail area, the Museum features artefacts, displays and an audio-visual presentation. Admission is free. Telephone 01506 778530.

HISTORIAN Geoff Bailey will lead a historical walk through Kinneil Estate this Sunday, July 26. If you’d like to attend, please come along.

The free walk will leave from outside Kinneil Museum around 2 p.m. and visit many of the historical sites around the estate. The tour has been organised by the charity The Friends of Kinneil as part of its ongoing work to promote the parkland.

Friends’ chairman Bruce Henderson said: “We’re delighted Geoff has agreed to take part in this event. Kinneil has a fantastic heritage and I’m sure this free, guided tour of the estate will prove popular with local people and visitors. Feel free to bring family and friends but bring suitable clothing and shoes, just in case we get some rain – or hit some muddy patches.”

Geoff is the keeper of local history and archaeology within Falkirk Council and also a prominent figure in Falkirk Local History Society. If you can’t make the walk on Sunday, remember that Step Forth run regular health walks around Kinneil Estate every week – on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Visit www.kinneil.org.uk/walk for details.

KINNEIL Estate will host its annual heritage day for 2009 on Sunday, September 20. Kinneil House will open during the afternoon and there will be fun for all the family. Keep visiting this page for more details.

To find out about more about open days at the House visit www.kinneil.org.uk/2009opendays

The new Bo’ness Fair film is now on sale at Kinneil Museum.

“The Best Day Of The Year” was premiered at the Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness earlier this year. It charts the history of the Fair and includes interviews with local people.

It’s being sold as part of a two-disc set, including a special DVD of archive Fair footage. Kinneil Museum, run by Falkirk Council, is open throughout the year, from Monday to Saturday, from 12.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

www.kinneil.org.uk/attractions

 

An early Bo’ness Fair from the 1890s, outside Kinneil House in Bo’ness. Picture Courtesy of Falkirk Museums. The House will be open to visitors again on June 27.

 

KINNEIL House – one of the first locations for the Bo’ness Children’s Fair Festival – is opening its doors to visitors . . . . the day after this year’s Fair.

Free guided tours of the Bo’ness mansion will be available on Saturday, June 27, from noon to 4 p.m. (last admission 3.30 p.m.) Neighbouring Kinneil Museum will also be open.

A spokesperson for The Friends of Kinneil charity, which is opening the House in conjunction with Historic Scotland, said: “The House is normally closed to the public for most of the year. However, we’ve been working with Historic Scotland to run a number of free open days each year to improve public access.

"As Kinneil was an early backdrop for the Children’s Fairs in Bo’ness, we always try to make it part of the annual celebrations – and are staging the summer open day at Kinneil the day after this year’s Fair.

"Kinneil House is a fantastic building and we hope lots of people will take advantage of the free tours during the Saturday opening."

Kinneil House, which dominates Kinneil Estate, dates back to the 15th century and was once a popular home for the Dukes of Hamilton. The building was re-modelled in the 1540s and transformed into a stately home in the 1660s. The Friends of Kinneil has been working closely with Historic Scotland to improve access to the building, which boasts some of the best renaissance wall paintings in Scotland.

Find out more at www.kinneil.org.uk/2009opendays

NOTES TO EDITORS

Kinneil House and Museum is just off the A993 – the main road through Bo’ness. For location information visit www.kinneil.org.uk/map or call Kinneil Museum on 01506 778530 .

Bo’ness Children’s Fair is thought to be the biggest event of its type in Scotland. Modelled on Lanark’s Lanimer Day, it was launched in 1897 – and involves the coronation of a Fair Queen. The Children’s Fair grew out of earlier Miners’ celebrations in Bo’ness, which included visits to Kinneil House for whisky toddies, provided by the Duke of Hamilton’s Factor.

Kinneil House is one of around 350 outstanding historic properties and sites in the care of Historic Scotland. These include some of the leading tourism attractions in the country, including Stirling, Edinburgh and Urquhart Castles, Fort George, Linlithgow Palace, the Border Abbeys, and Skara Brae. Find out more by visiting www.historic-scotland.gov.uk

THE Friends of Kinneil has looked back on its activities over the past year. The charity helped more than 1400 people see inside Kinneil House in Bo’ness, boosted awareness of Kinneil Estate, and ran a series of successful events for its members.

Chairman Bruce Henderson reported on the achievements at the charity’s annual general meeting held in St. Mary’s Church, Bo’ness, on June 2.

See Bruce’s presentation by clicking the graphic above.

You can also download the paperwork for the AGM – including the financial statement for 2008/09 here (PDF)

HISTORIAN Ian Scott will be the guest speaker at The Friends of Kinneil’s annual general meeting next Tuesday, June 2.

The event will be held in St. Mary’s Church Hall, off Linlithgow Road in Bo’ness, with a 7 p.m. for 7.30 p.m. start.

Mr Scott – who has published a number of books on local history – will talk about plans to develop a new publication charting the history of Kinneil. All members of the charity are invited to attend.

Bruce Henderson, the Friends’ chairman, will also look back on a successful year for the charity, which works to promote and support the development of the 200-acre Kinneil Estate.

Kinneil Estate became part of a transnational world heritage site in 2008. The Friends also ran a series of public and member events, including successful free open days at historic Kinneil House. The House will be open again on Saturday, June 27.

Mr Henderson said: “Another year is coming to an end and we are able to both celebrate a solid 2008/09 and look to the future, building on some excellent work put in by both the Management Committee team and volunteers – all giving of their time and energy freely.”

Paperwork for the AGM has been sent to all members. If you have not received a copy, please contact the membership secretary, Maria Ford, on 01506 510629.

To find out more about The Friends of Kinneil, please visit www.kinneil.org.uk/friends