National Wallace Monument

National Wallace Monument Review

It was near Old Stirling Bridge that the Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace (circa 1270-1305) and a ragged army of Scots won a major victory in 1297. The movie Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson, was based on Wallace's life. A more accurate version of events is told in an exhibition and audiovisual presentation at this pencil-thin museum on the Abbey Craig. Up close, this Victorian shrine to William Wallace, built between 1856 and 1869, becomes less slim and soaring, revealing itself to be a substantial square tower with a creepy spiral stairway. To reach the monument, follow the Bridge of Allan signs (A9) northward, crossing the River Forth by Robert Stephenson's (1772-1850) New Bridge of 1832, next to the historic old one. The National Wallace Monument is signposted at the next traffic circle.