KINNEIL House – one of the first locations for the Bo’ness Children’s
Fair Festival –is opening its doors to visitors on Saturday, June 30 .
. . . the day after this year’s Fair.
Free guided tours of the Bo’ness mansion are being tied in with
showings of old Fair films in the neighbouring Kinneil Museum.
Lynn Munro, the chairwoman of the heritage group The Friends of
Kinneil, explained: “The House was the backdrop for the early
Children’s Fairs in Bo’ness and we thought it would be nice to make it
part of this year’s celebrations.
“Working with Historic Scotland, we plan to open the House to visitors
from 12 noon to 3 p.m. on June 30 – the day after this year’s Fair. We
have also arranged with the Scottish Screen Archive and Falkirk
Council to show old Fair films in Kinneil Museum during the afternoon.
“The Museum will be open as normal from 12.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Entry is
free. Admission to the House on June 30 will also be free of
charge.”
Lynn added: “We know a number of former Bo’nessians come back to the
town for the Fair. We therefore thought they may appreciate being able
to visit Kinneil House and Museum and take a trip down memory lane.
“We’re indebted to the Scottish Screen Archive – part of the National
Library of Scotland – and Falkirk Council’s Museums’ Service for
allowing us to show some of the old Fair Films. We hope people will
enjoy them.”
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.
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/ 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
For more information, please contact
Lynn Munro, The Friends of Kinneil
tel. 01506 823260 ; email: lynn@kinneil.org.uk
Kinneil 