Falkland, United Kingdom
Falkland is a town of 1,110 people in Scotland, United Kingdom.
Why visit Falkland
Townapedia lists 9 museums and landmarks, 9 parks and trails, 7 places to eat, 1 place to stay and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Pillars of Hercules, East Lomond, Balbirnie Stone Circle and Falkland Palace.
Weather in Falkland
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Falkland
Falkland is a village, parish, and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland, at the foot of the Lomond Hills. According to the 2022 census it has a population of 1,041.
From the Wikipedia article Falkland, Fife (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos of Falkland
Things to do3
Museums and landmarks9
Balbirnie Stone Circle
Monument and historic site · 3.3 mi
Archaeological site in Fife, Scotland
Parks, trails and playgrounds9
Restaurants and cafes7
History
The lands of Kilgour existed in the Falkland area prior to the 12th century. But, the erection of Falkland Castle some time after 1160 was the crucial factor in the development of the medieval village, with workers and artisans. When King Malcolm donated the royal hunting estate of Falkland to Duncan, Earl of Fife in 1160, any previous hunting lodge may have been replaced by the castle. The site of Falkland Castle now lies within the grounds of the present Falkland Palace.
The church of Kilgour was located to the west of the present town. The benefice was counted as part of the Priory of Saint Andrews. It is known that an African servant of hers were buried in the kirk yard there in July 1591. The benefice was counted as part of the Priory of Saint Andrews. It is known that coffins were interred at a spot called the "Pillars of Hercules" on the way to Kilgour.
About thirty years later, a replacement church was built in Falkland town by the master mason John Mylne and his son. The site of the old church at Kilgour has been absorbed into a farm.
Despite being granted royal burgh status in 1458, Falkland had developed as a medieval settlement dependent on Falkland Castle and Falkland Palace. Thus it did not function in the same way as did other royal burghs.
Read more of the history
Falkland was the birthplace of the famous 17th-century Covenanter Richard Cameron. He was the town schoolmaster before he became a field or itinerant preacher. His house still stands in the main street of the village. Another Covenanter, Robert Gillespie, was arrested for preaching here; he was imprisoned on the Bass Rock.
John, Marquis of Bute, inherited much of this land in the late 19th century. He employed the architects John Kinross and Robert Weir Schultz to restore a considerable proportion of the village (including the Palace).
From the History section of Falkland, Fife on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Falkland
Arts and culture
Other features of the village include an old horse market, also including the Falkland Cricket Club, and the Falkland Golf Club. One of the country's leading environmental festivals, The Big Tent, was held for several years up to 2012 in the grounds of Falkland Estate in July. Organised by the Falkland Centre for Stewardship, the 2012 festival was headlined by the Proclaimers and the 2010 event by Rosanne Cash. Since 2016 the main event of the year has been the Craft Symposium. The 2018 Symposium, held in August, celebrates traditional crafts and craftsmanship through talks, discussions, workshops, demonstrations, networking and site tours.
The Falkland Library and Falkland Community Hall are run on behalf of the community by Falkland Community Development Trust, an organisation established to maintain, develop and/or operate a centre or centres providing facilities for a wide range of community activities and accommodation for community groups, and for public sector agencies which provide services of benefit to the community. All residents of Falkland can become members of the trust.
The Falkland Society holds regular meetings with speakers, and has published several books about the village.
From the Wikipedia article Falkland, Fife, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Falkland
- Richard CameronScottish preacher
Born in Falkland, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay1
Churches and places of worship1
Shopping2
Schools, colleges and libraries3
Healthcare1
Map of Falkland
36 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Perth Airport (PSL) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 14 miles away.
- Ladybank 3 mi northeast, about 5 min by car
- Glenrothes 4 mi south, about 7 min by car
- Methil 8 mi southeast, about 14 min by car
- Kirkcaldy 10 mi south, about 15 min by car
- Cowdenbeath 11 mi southwest, about 18 min by car
- Perth 13 mi northwest, about 21 min by car
- Townhill 14 mi southwest, about 23 min by car
- Dunfermline 16 mi southwest, about 26 min by car
- Dundee 17 mi northeast, about 28 min by car
- Saint Andrews 17 mi east, about 27 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Towns near Falkland
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Falkland, Fife, Kim Traynor, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Falkland Primary School, Bill Kasman, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Balbirnie Stone Circle, Kilnburn ( talk ) 18:49, 18 June 2009 (UTC), Attribution
- House of Falkland - general view from SE, Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Falkland, High Street, Falkland Parish Church, LilacRoses, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Falkland Palace from the NW, Stephencdickson, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Traditional Lithuanian dancers2, Gareth Saunders from Cellardyke, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Traditional Lithuanian dancers1, Gareth Saunders from Cellardyke, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Traditional Lithuanian dancers3, Gareth Saunders from Cellardyke, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lithuanian musicians Rasa, Gareth Saunders from Cellardyke, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lord Ninian Crichton Stuart Memorial Chapel - view of nave arcade, Tom Parnell, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, bejotel, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, smsm1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, hobgoblin, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, bejotel, CC BY-SA 4.0
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