A Result of Scotland's Love Affair with William Wallace

Scottish culture has had a long tradition of hating the English; it's very deeply rooted in their history through numerous wars and continued exploitation by their southern neighbours. During the 1800s, there was a new love affair with the idea of Scottish national identity and its independence from Britain.

One of the ways this manifested was in a restored adoration for the Scottish hero William Wallace. Renowned for his organisation of resistance against the English during the Scottish wars of independence, Wallace has been a figurehead for Scottish pride repeatedly, though his true role is often butchered by poets like Blind Harry or films such as Mel Gibson's Braveheart.

The 1800 resurgence saw the construction of one of the biggest monuments to Wallace ever, which, rather unsurprisingly, ended up being titled the National Wallace Monument. It is a tower standing 67 metres tall on top of Abbey Craig. Abbey Craig is rumoured to have been where Wallace stood before the Battle of Stirling Bridge, and watched the English army. The tower cost £18,000 to build, which was raised mostly from donations.

It was designed by the architect John Thomas Rochead in the Neo-Gothic style, and has a spiral staircase of 246 steps. At the very top is a viewing gallery, looking over the hills and valleys of the dramatic Scottish landscape of the Ochill Hills and Forth Valley.

Inside the monument are a number of exhibits and presentations for visitors. A video presentation showing Wallace's achievements is set up in one room, along with a sword that may have been, but probably wasn't, William Wallace's. The sword is a claymore measuring five feet six inches, and impresses many visitors with its size.

For years, the car park played host to a horrific statue created by Scottish mason Tom Church. Inspired by the film Braveheart, Tom carved a twelve metre tall statue depicting Mel Gibson's version of Wallace. It was criticised by locals and national press, and, when it was removed from the site and Tom tried to sell it on, failed to go for the asking price. He then failed to donate it to anywhere as well.

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