Kinneil House will re-open free on Saturday 21 March – the first public opening of 2026 – alongside adjacent Kinneil Museum in probably one of its last remaining weekends as a Council-run museum, featuring artefacts from the local authority’s publicly-owned collection, as well as displays showcasing the history and heritage of both Kinneil and the wider Bo’ness area.
Historic Environment Scotland (HES), supported by the Friends of Kinneil, will be welcoming visitors to Kinneil House from 10am-3pm. For this open day only, there is no need to book, and free admission, but no formal guided indoor tours – just turn up, wander inside and chat to staff and volunteers. Visitors will be able to see the re-imagined late mediaeval kitchen on the ground floor, the renowned 16th/17th-Century painted rooms on the first floor, as well as an exhibition about the Antonine Wall on the top floor of the house. Note that access to the upper floors is via the spiral stairway only – unfortunately there are no lifts – and that there are no public toilets at Kinneil House before the museum opens at 12.30. The nearest available are 1.5 miles away at Bo’ness Library.
There will also be a free volunteer-led outdoor guided walk, starting from the museum at 12 noon – explore the wider history and historic features of Kinneil Estate. Among other things, see the course of the Roman Antonine Wall, and hear the stories about James Watt’s secret development work at Kinneil in the 1760s, at the dawn of the age of steam which forms the backdrop to a special film screening at Bo’ness railway station later that evening.
Kinneil Museum (and toilets) will also be open free from 12.30-4pm, for one of the last weekends to visit before Falkirk Council proposes to stop operating the museum at the end of this month. Its future remains uncertain, but is still under discussion with HES.
All ages welcome – whether for the house, museum, or outdoor walk. This open day is being held in support of the Silent Film Festival week at the historic Hippodrome Cinema in Bo’ness.
A fortnight later, on Saturday 4 April, Kinneil House will re-open for its new season of ticketed indoor guided tours, which will once again be available almost every Saturday until the end of September. Details and booking pages for these future 2026 house openings can be found at the HES web page for Kinneil House. The opening on 4 April will be accompanied by a special free Easter Egg Hunt for families (no tour booking required), provided by HES.
Kinneil 
You must be logged in to post a comment.