Early modern historian. Loves gender, women's, social & royal histories. Ventures elswhere when interest is piqued. Blog may cover above themes or something a little more random. Find me on Twitter @ruthrblair
The National Wallace Monument at Abbey Craig, Stirling, Scotland, holds a commanding place within sight of Stirling Bridge, where, in 1297, William Wallace’s army defeated King Edward I’s English invaders.
National Wallace Monument, Stirling
It sits majestically high up on a hill, visible from the motorway below, and peers out from above the trees. It was designed by architect J T Rochead, whose design came first in a national competition to find the perfect concept to commemorate one of Scotland’s national heroes. Building began in 1861 and was eventually finished in 1869. It is one of more than 20 monuments to William Wallace in Scotland.
National Wallace Monument, Stirling
The walk up Wallace Way to the monument takes about 15 – 20 minutes and is sometimes quite steep. However, I enjoyed the walk and you can always reward yourself with a cream tea in the cafe afterwards, although on the day I visited it was served with Scottish jam and English clotted cream – I’m not sure what Willam Wallace would have made of that!
National Wallace Monument, Stirling
National Wallace Monument, Stirling
National Wallace Monument, Stirling
The trail to the monument is enlivened with wooden sculpture and a timeline of Scottish history designed to keep all ages engaged on the hefty walk. For those who are elderly or infirm (or willing to pay?, I didn’t find out) a minibus periodically drops people off at the monument and makes the return journey down the hill afterwards.
National Wallace Monument, Stirling
National Wallace Monument, Stirling
National Wallace Monument, Stirling
Re-enactors at the National Wallace Monument, Stirling
Re-eactors at the National Wallace Monument, Stirling
Saltires flying at the National Wallace Monument, Stirling
Wood carving depicting the Ice Age by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving depicting the Ice Age by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving depicting the prehistoric Whale bones found at Stirling by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving commemorating Scotland’s first farmers by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving commemorating Scotland’s first farmers by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving commemorating Scotland’s first metal workers by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving representing the people and invaders of Scotland by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving commemorating the battle of Stirling Bridge by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving commemorating Scotland heroes by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Wood carving commemorating Scotland’s first pwered flight by Iain Chalmers on the Wallace Way, Abbey Craig
Thanks! They are awesome – it was a great little walk up hill. It made 2 lazy forty-somethings feel like they’d achieved something!
Your question is a little out of my sphere but I’ll attempt it! It took around 7 years to build the Natural History Museum in London, which is larger. I would suggest terrain and location had something to do with the length of the build. There is no indication on its website regarding duration of build so I can only assume it went to plan.
Thanks for researching! In the first moment, this sounded like a long time, but nowadays big architecture projects can take just as long as this project a hundred and fifty years ago…
I don’t remember any of those sculptures – maybe they are new since we were there last about 6 years ago. Though we walked out from Stirling via Cambuskenneth Abbey so maybe we approached a different way (I remember slithering up the hill). I don’t know if it was meant to take that long to build, but it came in at double the original budget apparently.
This blog is a selection of interesting things I've come across during my history research. I have a wide interest in history ranging from Wars of the Roses, country houses, Stuarts, Georgians, Louis XIV, Napoleon and criminals. So expect to see a bit of everything on here, with a focus on little known stories.
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Hi Ruth! Great post, the wood carving sculptures look awesome!
Eight years of building, is that a long time for the 19th century?
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Thanks! They are awesome – it was a great little walk up hill. It made 2 lazy forty-somethings feel like they’d achieved something!
Your question is a little out of my sphere but I’ll attempt it! It took around 7 years to build the Natural History Museum in London, which is larger. I would suggest terrain and location had something to do with the length of the build. There is no indication on its website regarding duration of build so I can only assume it went to plan.
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Thanks for researching! In the first moment, this sounded like a long time, but nowadays big architecture projects can take just as long as this project a hundred and fifty years ago…
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The new Liverpool hospital ….
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I don’t remember any of those sculptures – maybe they are new since we were there last about 6 years ago. Though we walked out from Stirling via Cambuskenneth Abbey so maybe we approached a different way (I remember slithering up the hill). I don’t know if it was meant to take that long to build, but it came in at double the original budget apparently.
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I’d like to visit Scotland one day. The castles seem absolutely breathtaking.
I’d be afraid to slip and fall, if I were Wallace up on there.
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Scotland is wonderful – but the weather is cooler than London. We left the Glasgow area and went north to Aberdeen and found warmer weather!
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