Statues of William Wallace and Andrew de Moray to be unveiled

An eight-metre high statue of William Wallace and Andrew de Moray will be unveiled on the site of their most famous victory, it has been announced.

Ex-Glenrothes Town Artist Malcolm Robertson with one of his sculptures, which caused controversy when it was covered up by the Rothes Halls and hidden from the public. Image: Steven Brown

The towering steel artwork, titled Brothers In Arms, will show the two armoured heroes shoulder-to-shoulder, with their arms aloft raising a Scottish flag featuring the Lion Rampant.

It will be located on the north bank of the River Forth at Stirling – the site of the 1297 Battle of Stirling Bridge.

The £150,000 statue was put forward by Fife-based sculptor Malcolm Robertson, whose previous work includes a statue of comic icon Oor Wullie recently unveiled in Dundee and Endeavour, the six-metre high ship’s hull at the entrance to Port Glasgow in Inverclyde.

This decision to award the commission to Robertson is a major step for The Guardians of Scotland Trust (GOST), which was set up in 2012 to increase awareness of the historic battle and create a “monumental public artwork” in honour of the victorious co-commanders and “guardians of Scotland”.

The battle has been described as second in importance only to Bannockburn in the Scottish Wars of Independence. While Wallace went on to become Scotland’s national hero, de Moray died after the battle from his wounds.

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