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Buildings

Basic Site Details

Wallace Monument
Abbey Craig
Stirlingshire
Scotland
76 entrants in competition. Cost £18,000 to build. Inaugurated 11 September 1869.

The Wallace Monument. - On Monday, the anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn, the Duke of Athole, Most Worshipful Grand Master Mason of Scotland, laid the foundation-stone of the Wallace Monument, his grace being accompanied by various civic and volunteer bodies in procession. Subscriptions have been sought and obtained in almost every quarter of the globe and now the fund amounts, after deducting expenses, to £5,500. The cost of the monument is estimated at £7,000, leaving a deficiency of £1 ,500. The design for the monument is from the pencil of Mr. J. T. Rochead, of Glasgow. [Building News 28 June 1861 p556]

The foundation stone of the monument was laid on June 24 1861 by the Duke of Athole. ... Building operations were occasionally suspended for lack of funds but at length the needful amount having been forthcoming, the monument has been completed. The entire cost of the structure has somewhat exceeded £12,000. The design for the monument is from the pencil of Mr J T Rochead, architect, Glasgow. It consists of a Scottish baronial tower 220 feet high and 36 feet square. The walls are massive, being 15 feet thicj at the base and graduating from 5 feet to 6 feet at the top. At the east end of the tower is a house for the keeper. An open courtyard entered by a massive circular arched gateway having bold mouldings separates the main building from the keeper’s dwelling. Above the gateway are the heraldic arms of Scotland. Passing through the gateway into a stone arched passage, a series of steps leads to an open octagonal winding staircase projecting from the south-west angle of the tower and running up nearly its entire height. Arrow-let slits or lights pierce the walls of the staircase at intervals, almost to the summit of the square tower; and imitation rope-work, with moulded angles, bind the walls externally. The staircase forms the approach to several spacious and lofty halls, designed for the display of armour and other antiquarian relics, illustrative of the early national history. An imperial crown forms the apex of the monument. This coronial topis upwards of 50 feet high and is built of pure white sandstone. It comprises eight arms, from the angles and sides, all converging on the centre, and forming a series of flying buttresses, broadly ribbed, having the spandrels filled with open tracery. Crocketed pinnacles surmount the outer flanks of the buttresses, and some very effective skylines are obtained by the openings of the crown. [The Architect 11 September 1869 page 128]

Building Type Classification

The building is classified under the following categories:

Class classic

ClassificationOriginal ClassificationNotes
Commemorative monumentNot Known

Events

The following date-based events are associated with this building:

event classic

Event TypeFromToNotes
18591869
Competition held1859
1861/06/24Foundation stone laid
Competition design1862Competition design by Haig & Low
1869/09Completed

People

Design and Construction

The following individuals or organisations have carried out design/construction work. Where architects or practices worked together, matching letters appear beside their names in the Partnership Group column.

design classic

PersonPartnership GroupRoleFromToNotes
Charles George Hood KinnearB1859Competition design - placed second
David Paton LowA1859Competition design - placed third
Haig & LowA1859Competition design - placed third
John Dick PeddieB1859Competition design - placed second
John HaigA1859Competition design - placed third
John Thomas Rochead18591969Won in competition
Peddie & KinnearB1859Competition design - placed second

Clients

The following individuals or organisations have commissioned work on this building/design:

client classic

NameNotes
National Monument Committee

Related Buildings, Structures and Designs

References

Bibliographic References

The following books contain references to this building:

bio ref classic

AuthorYearTitlePartPublisherNotes
Glasgow Institute of Fine Arts1862620 (Haig & Low)
Harper, Roger H1983Victorian Architectural Competitions: An Index to British and Irish Architectural Competitions…London: Mansell Publishing
RSA1861691
RSA1860580 (Rochead's design)

Periodical References

The following periodicals contain references to this building:

period ref classic

Periodical NameDateEditionPublisherNotes
Builder1859/09/17XVIIpp623 & 816
Building News1859/12/09*
Building News1860/03/02*
Building News1861/06/28p556 - foundation stone
Architect1869/09/11p128 and illustration

Archive References

The following archives hold material relating to this building:

arc ref classic

SourceNameCat NumberItem NameNotes
National Monuments Record of Scotland/NMRS, RCAHMSDick Peddie and McKay CollectionDPM 1860/130/1
Smith Institute, StirlingWallace Monument ArchiveDrawings, minute books and other relevant papers. Other archives held at the monument itself.
Historic Environment ScotlandListed Buildings Register41118