The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift at Tamfourhill, Falkirk, in central Scotland. Tony Kettle of RMJM led the design team, working with British Waterways, Arup and Butterley Engineering. British Waterways led the project. Donald Dewar cut the first sod in March 1999, and Queen Elizabeth II opened the wheel on May 24, 2002.
Two opposing axe-shaped arms carry two water-filled caissons, turned by ten hydraulic motors. The wheel is 35 meters (115 feet) across and lifts boats 24 meters (79 feet). Its axle is 28 meters long, and more than 14,000 bolts join its sections. The article calls the design Celtic-inspired, and the Royal Fine Art Commission for Scotland called it a contemporary sculpture.
A visitor center stands on the east side of the lower basin, and boat trips run about hourly. The article gives no ticket prices or hours.
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