Braveheart in bits: William Wallace statue from national monument in Stirling dismantled and sent to England for restoration

THE last time William Wallace was taken across the Border, it did not end well.

However, more than 700 years after the iconic freedom fighter was executed in London, he is heading south again.

The Wallace statue – which stands over the entrance to the national monument in Stirling – has been dismantled and will be transported to Lancashire for restoration work.

The move is part of a £260,000 revamp for the 14ft bronze statue of the famous warrior, who, after being captured near Glasgow in 1305, was handed over to King Edward I, taken to England and, after a trial for high treason, executed.

After being dismantled, his statue will undergo specialist restoration by the Wigan-based company Lost Art before returning to the iconic monument ahead of its 150th anniversary celebrations in September.

Stirling Council boss Scott Farmer said: “The outcome of Wallace’s last trip to England is, obviously, well known but those days are very much in the past.

“This time this Scottish hero will have a happy homecoming and will be back in peak condition.”

William Wallace was famously hung, drawn and quartered at his brutal execution in 1305.

His head was placed on London Bridge and his limbs displayed in Newcastle, Berwick, Stirling and Perth.

The essential repairs needing done to the iconic statue are hugely challenging and are expected to take around eight weeks to complete, Mr Farmer said.

“That is why we ensured that these painstaking restoration works will be carried out by expert craftspeople, including Lost Art, a company with a track record in bringing renowned Scottish historical structures back to their former glory.

“We are also collaborating with specialists – locally and from across Scotland.

“This has included significant engagement with Historic Environment Scotland and staff at Stirling’s Engine Shed.”

The painstaking revamp work forms part of the overall restoration project at the monument, which will cost more than £500,000.

The William Wallace statue was created by renowned Victorian sculptor David Watson Stephenson, from Edinburgh, and was added to the monument in 1887. Prior to work commencing, specialists used the latest technology to analyse the work’s condition, in order to guide how they would perform the intricate task of its removal and restoration.

This included an X-ray survey, an endoscopic survey and ultrasonic thickness-mapping.

A sample was also taken of the casting bronze to identify a match for repair metal and brazing wire.

In September, it was found that the bronze figure – which stands 30ft up on the towering monument – had suffered a structural fracture to its left leg, a bronze anchor bolt was missing and water penetration had occurred.

Surface decay and erosion and internal corrosion was also found.

Project leader Jim Mitchell, conservation engineer at Industrial Heritage Consulting, said that the statue will be dismantled into “four or five pieces” for the eight-week restoration work.

He added: “It is a privilege to be involved in such a prestigious and challenging project.

“The decision to dismantle in situ has been proved correct, as we have found around 500 kilogrammes of sand and other fill inside the statue. This was done to deliberately add weight.

“All of that must be carefully removed before the rest is lifted, due to the fragile nature of the bronze.

“We are looking forward to examining this massive bronze in the workshop, to better understand the sculptor’s approach.”

The monument will close from tomorrow while the work gets under way and will reopen in the spring with a new look.

A series of events have also been planned throughout the year, as well as two large-scale public celebrations in September to mark the 150th anniversary of the monument’s opening.

Zillah Jamieson, chair of Stirling District Tourism, said: “Not only will the statue of William Wallace be fully restored and returned to its home but the monument will also be undergoing a transformation of its own.”

Seoras Wallace, who advised on staging battle scenes on blockbuster movies Braveheart and Highlander, said: “It is incredible that William Wallace’s statue is being quartered and sent down to England after all this time.

“I’m sure that our national hero will be looking down at what is happening and will be smiling at the sheer irony of it all.”