Falkirk’s Callendar House launches new family friendly exhibitions

Falkirk’s four-star visitor attraction, Callendar House, has launched two new, free, family-friendly exhibitions to kick start 2023 – ‘Rediscovering the Antonine Wall’ and ‘Shining a Light’ which will both run until 30 April.

The ‘Rediscovering the Antonine Wall` interactive exhibition, located on the second floor of Callendar House, aims to increase awareness and engagement with the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site.  A long stretch of the Antonine Wall ditch is located within Callendar Park just north of Callendar House and the exhibition will help visitors discover the history of the Wall, how it was built, and its role within the Roman Empire during the Roman occupation of Scotland, as well as exploring what life was like for Scots living under Roman rule.

Focusing on Falkirk as one of the five local authority areas that the historic wall runs through, visitors of all ages can explore the interactive exhibits including games, jigsaws, information boards, and replica artefacts. The Rediscovering the Antonine Wall project is a partnership between West Dunbartonshire Council, East Dunbartonshire Council, Glasgow City Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Falkirk Council, and Historic Environment Scotland. It is funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund Scotland, Kelvin Valley and Falkirk LEADER programme as well as contributions from Historic Environment Scotland and the five local authority partners.

The ‘Shining a Light’ exhibition, located in the Park Gallery, is a celebration of Falkirk’s young artists and will feature artwork produced by local students from all secondary schools in the Falkirk area: Bo’ness, Braes, Carrongrange, Denny, Falkirk, St Mungo’s, Grangemouth, Graeme, and Larbert. Visitors will also learn about former art students from Falkirk and the success they have achieved since leaving school. Some of the former students featured in the exhibition include Calum Stevenson, Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2021, who attended Denny High School and Fashion Designer and Lecturer, Shauni Douglas, a former Graeme High School student, who is currently consulting for Martine Rose in London and Calvin Klein in New York.

Lesley O’Hare, Cultural Services Manager at Falkirk Council said:

“We are very excited about our first new exhibitions of 2023. ‘Rediscovering the Antonine Wall` focusses on the distant past and is a fascinating, interactive journey back into the history of the Roman occupation of Scotland. An absolute must for fans of ancient history, but also fascinating for the local community, who live beside this World Heritage Site, to learn about the role the Wall played in the Roman occupation of Scotland.

“Shining a Light’ looks forward and showcases the immense creativity of sixth year pupils in our area’s secondary schools.  It also celebrates the successes of former pupils who have made an impact and created thriving careers in the creative industries.”

Both exhibitions are open from 10am to 4pm, every day except Tuesdays and are free of charge to enjoy. For more information please visit: https://www.falkirkleisureandculture.org/venues/callendar-house/