Two-faced

A drive into Falkirk for some grocery shopping was followed by a further short drive over to Lionthorn and a walk around the Community Woodland there. I extended my walk to visit the Union Canal, and specifically the bridge that crosses the Canal at Glen Village.

The bridge is called the Laughin' and Greetin' Bridge on account of the two faces carved on the keystones on either side of the bridge. One description I found on the internet, and which seems to be the accepted one, reads as follows:

The story of the carved faces on the key stones on this bridge are a reminder of the tasks of the contractors who built the canal.

On the Falkirk side the face is greetin' [crying] because the section of canal heading west involved blasting a tunnel through a hillside and building a flight of eleven locks to join up with the Forth & Clyde canal. The contractor went bankrupt!

The laughin' face on the Edinburgh side smiles towards the east which was a far easier construction in comparison and the contractor made a tidy sum.