Falkirk
At first glance there might not appear to be a lot to Falkirk, and apart from the nearby
Falkirk Wheel (a massive modern engineering construction used to move
barges and boats from one canal to another), you may wonder what
incentive there might be to pay it a visit.
But sometimes it is the smallest, seemingly insignificant thing that can be the most appealing, that which is often lost to visitors and little appreciated by locals. For it is the hidden gem that is all the excuse you need to catch a train straight there, and that sparkling emerald is a tomb. It is a small tomb of no visual consequence, and not one you can crawl into or creep around. But it is certainly one that you can stand beside and gaze at in awe. For Falkirk's Old Parish Church yard is the resting-place of Sir John De Graham, a knight who fought at the side of Sir William Wallace and died at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. For a long time the remains of his sword sat on top of his tomb, but I believe it has been removed by the city fathers for safekeeping. It is very hard to imagine a sword lying for so long. It must have been protected by spirits of the warriors of long ago.
But sometimes it is the smallest, seemingly insignificant thing that can be the most appealing, that which is often lost to visitors and little appreciated by locals. For it is the hidden gem that is all the excuse you need to catch a train straight there, and that sparkling emerald is a tomb. It is a small tomb of no visual consequence, and not one you can crawl into or creep around. But it is certainly one that you can stand beside and gaze at in awe. For Falkirk's Old Parish Church yard is the resting-place of Sir John De Graham, a knight who fought at the side of Sir William Wallace and died at the Battle of Falkirk in 1298. For a long time the remains of his sword sat on top of his tomb, but I believe it has been removed by the city fathers for safekeeping. It is very hard to imagine a sword lying for so long. It must have been protected by spirits of the warriors of long ago.
SIR JOHN DE GRAHAM'S TOMB
THE HIGH STREET, FALKIRK
THE FALKIRK WHEEL
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How to
GET THERE
GET THERE
You can get a train to Falkirk from Edinburgh, Glasgow Queen Street, and Stirling railway stations.
