Wallace Monument Landscape
The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a 67m tower on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th- and 14th-century Scottish hero.
The tower was constructed following a fundraising campaign, which accompanied a resurgence of Scottish national identity in the 19th century. In addition to public subscription, it was partially funded by contributions from a number of foreign donors, including Italian national leader Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The foundation stone was laid in 1861 by the Duke of Atholl in his role as Grand Master Mason of Scotland. Completed in 1869 to the designs of architect John Thomas Rochead at a cost of £18,000, the monument is a sandstone tower, built in the Victorian Gothic style.
The tower stands on the Abbey Craig, a volcanic crag above Cambuskenneth Abbey, from which Wallace was said to have watched the gathering of the army of King Edward I of England just before the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. Visitors climb the 246-step spiral staircase to the viewing gallery inside the monument's crown, which provides expansive views of the Ochil Hills and the Forth Valley as well as the battlefield (to the right above).
In the trees on the lower edge of the image directly below the monument can be seen Stirling Old Bridge, constructed on rubble foundations around 1500, which replaced earlier wooden bridges, including that on which the Battle of Stirling Bridge was fought. The bridge originally had arches at either end and a defensive gate at the end nearer the burgh. Tolls were levied on goods being taken across the bridge. In December 1745 General Blakeney, Lieutenant Governor of Stirling Castle, had one of the bridge arches destroyed to hinder the movement of the Jacobite Army. The destroyed arch was rebuilt in 1749. In May 1833 the adjacent new road bridge was opened to traffic and the Old Bridge was closed to wheeled traffic. The bridge was designated as a Category A Listed Building in 1965.
A very touristic photo, taken from atop Stirling Castle, with the Ochil Hills providing the backdrop. The hike up to the monument from its car park is fairly steep (although there is a shuttle bus for those who wish to avail themselves of it), but the climb up the internal circular staircase to the top of the monument is a real tester for the thighs...
Wallace Monument Landscape
The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a 67m tower on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th- and 14th-century Scottish hero.
The tower was constructed following a fundraising campaign, which accompanied a resurgence of Scottish national identity in the 19th century. In addition to public subscription, it was partially funded by contributions from a number of foreign donors, including Italian national leader Giuseppe Garibaldi.
The foundation stone was laid in 1861 by the Duke of Atholl in his role as Grand Master Mason of Scotland. Completed in 1869 to the designs of architect John Thomas Rochead at a cost of £18,000, the monument is a sandstone tower, built in the Victorian Gothic style.
The tower stands on the Abbey Craig, a volcanic crag above Cambuskenneth Abbey, from which Wallace was said to have watched the gathering of the army of King Edward I of England just before the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297. Visitors climb the 246-step spiral staircase to the viewing gallery inside the monument's crown, which provides expansive views of the Ochil Hills and the Forth Valley as well as the battlefield (to the right above).
In the trees on the lower edge of the image directly below the monument can be seen Stirling Old Bridge, constructed on rubble foundations around 1500, which replaced earlier wooden bridges, including that on which the Battle of Stirling Bridge was fought. The bridge originally had arches at either end and a defensive gate at the end nearer the burgh. Tolls were levied on goods being taken across the bridge. In December 1745 General Blakeney, Lieutenant Governor of Stirling Castle, had one of the bridge arches destroyed to hinder the movement of the Jacobite Army. The destroyed arch was rebuilt in 1749. In May 1833 the adjacent new road bridge was opened to traffic and the Old Bridge was closed to wheeled traffic. The bridge was designated as a Category A Listed Building in 1965.
A very touristic photo, taken from atop Stirling Castle, with the Ochil Hills providing the backdrop. The hike up to the monument from its car park is fairly steep (although there is a shuttle bus for those who wish to avail themselves of it), but the climb up the internal circular staircase to the top of the monument is a real tester for the thighs...