Historic Environment Scotland: Kinneil House draws the visitors with first regular tours in 70 years

And while the final evaluation has still to take place, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) say its been such a success that they hope to offer the same access next year.

The 16th/ 7th century mansion and its estate, which belonged to the Dukes of Hamilton, even got the royal seal of approval as King Charles visited as part of his coronation celebrations.

The house, which is owned by Falkirk Council, has been open every Saturday since April and the weekly tours will continue until September 30 (excluding September 2).

It is the first time in nearly 70 years that the house has been open on a regular basis and the visitor numbers have shown people are keen to experience the unique attraction.

Rachel Syderseff, district visitor and community manager at Historic Environment Scotland (HES), said: “Our tours at Kinneil House have been a great success this year. We have had guided tours, led by HES staff each Saturday this season, with over 700 visitors having taken tours already.

“The reception has been great, and our tour guides even got the opportunity to meet HRH King Charles III when he visited Kinneil House earlier this summer. We have also recently installed an exhibition about the Antonine Wall on the top floor of Kinneil House as an addition to the guided tour.

“This operating model has been a pilot for the 2023 season, and we’ve been in close collaboration with both the Friends of Kinneil and Falkirk Council.

“At the end of September, we’ll do an evaluation, however we would very much hope to offer similar tours again next year.”

The HSE involvement has been warmly welcomed by Friends of Kinneil volunteers who have offered occasional tours in recent years but are delighted to see the house open so regularly.

This year, they are complementing the HES tours by offering guided lunchtime walks around the park.

Friends of Kinneil chairperson, Ian Shearer, said: “The outdoor walk shows visitors some of the other bits of the estate, which has got 2000 years of history. You’ve got the Antonine Wall, Kinneil Church, which is 12th century, the James Watt cottage and it’s got lovely views across the Firth of Forth, so there’s lots to see.”

Other events this summer included special crafting workshops to celebrate two significant coronations – King Charles III and Queen Lexi, who was crowned Bo’ness Fair queen on June 30.

The Friends are particularly thrilled to see such a positive step forward as the house marked 100 years in public ownership this year.

The group say they will continue to work with HES and Falkirk Council to promote the site and engage with the local community to “make sure that the site achieves its full potential”.