Official launch for Falkirk's Ironheart mural highlighting district's historic links to iron industry

The mural on the site of a former foundry in the town’s Gowan Avenue had input from pupils at St Mungo’s High who came up with some of the design.

At 49ft by 6ft, the mural covers the length of the former Malcolm Cockburn’s Gowanbank Foundry office block off Grahams Road.

Named Ironheart 2022, it was created by Falkirk Made Friends (FMF), the group set up three years ago to safeguard the town’s working K6 phone boxes cast by the Carron Company.

Now, the mural is to have an official launch in conjunction with an open day at neighbouring FBS Plumbing.

The FBS open day will run from noon until 3.30pm including showroom tours, refreshments and a tombola for the British Heart Foundation.

While FMF will host an Ironheart Mural guided talk at 1pm, ahead of the mural’s official launch at 2pm.

Provost Robert Bissett and Alison Sime, managing director of FBS, will be present for the short ceremony.

A special piece of theatre will then be performed in front of the mural at around 2.30pm.

Duncan Comrie, from FMF, explained: “The public launch of the Ironheart Mural reconnects the remains of the iron industry with the significant contribution the Falkirk area foundries made to improving public health.

"Starting with Carron Co. in 1759, and followed by some 60 other foundries, the Falkirk area was the nationwide hub of the light castings industry, making products that would improve public health including fireplaces, heating stoves, cookers, pots and pans, hot water boilers, bathtubs and rainwater and sanitation drainage.

"The mural site at the former Malcolm Cockburn Gowanbank foundry still serves public health, in the 1920s it was the biggest bathmaker in the British isles, and today it’s the home of FBS – aka Falkirk Brass, a long established Falkirk foundry family business – still serving cleanliness as a plumbing merchant and the main agent for Carron Baths.

"The event is joint with FBS Plumbing who have been a great support and we thought it would be nice to have an official launch for the mural.

"As part of the event there will be a presentation to the manager of Carron Phoenix of an Ironheart frying pan.

"Frying pans were one of the first items made by the local foundries and this pan has been made from scrap K6 phone kiosks originally made at Carron Co. from 1935-1982.

“The day’s special theatrical performance involves the spirit of the Carron Phoenix and Tam O’Shanter telling of how Robert Burns was fired up to write Tam O’Shanter by a Carron Co. kitchen range.”

Dr Comrie added that FMF were only able to create the mural thanks to funding from Falkirk Council’s Community Choices scheme and with the practical support of FBS Plumbing.

The mural – and the iron work sculptures alongside it – depicts world-famous products made by the district’s foundries, including baths, cooking ranges and utensils.

It aims to give passers-by a better understanding of how these innovations helped improve public health and spark young people’s interest in science, engineering and product design.