Callendar House Archives

In the west wing of Callendar House lies the Searchroom for Falkirk Archives, containing collections relating to the Falkirk area and its people.

It is located in the oldest part of the house. When the Forbes family was in residence it was used as a library whilst the adjacent archival storage area was a ladies’ parlour. The current design of the library dates from 1830 and was created by David Hamilton, who also designed the Steeple and Larbert Church. It has original oak panelled walls with an elegant barrel-vaulted ceiling. The wood is said to be from the family estates in the south of Scotland. A large mirror at one end reflects the repeated rectangular shapes of the bronze screens and coffering of the ceiling, thereby exaggerating the length of the narrow room. The room is north facing which helps to keep the contents cool, both in Forbes’ time and ours, as well as contributing to the visual mood of the room.

This special weekend opening of Falkirk Archives also opens up a lesser known aspect of archival collecting - displaying material one might not expect to find in an archive such as sound and film recordings. This was highlighted by a recent BBC documentary on the BA Cowboys!

Callendar House is open free throughout the year and has permanent displays of Roman material, as well as a large late 18th century kitchen and beautiful grounds.

Courtesy of Falkirk Community Trust.