William Wallace heads home after £260k makeover

The 132-year-old figure, which towers above the entrance, has spent around 10 weeks receiving painstaking repairs from specialists.

It was a makeover costed at round £260,000, and was a key part of a substantial upgrade of the Monument ahead of its 150th anniversary celebrations later this year.

The statue was removed from the tower in sections and taken south to Wigan-based firm Lost Art for repairs - the first time it has left its plinth since it was installed at the monument in 1887.

The expert work carried out included cleaning out the inside of the statue, originally filled with sand, repairing the sword and shield, and carrying out repairs to casting failures on the statue.

The repairs form part of the overall exterior restoration project at the National Wallace Monument, which is expected to total £515,000.

Brian Roberts, senior manager for infrastructure at Stirling Council, said: “This was a hugely challenging and complex project, requiring the collaboration of a range specialists, including the expertise of the crafts people of Lost Art, who have a proven track record in restoring Scottish historical structures.

“What happened on Wallace’s last trip to England is obviously well known, and very much in the past but this time - thanks to Lost Art’s painstaking work - he has returned across the border in peak condition and ready to greet visitors from all over the world as they arrive at the Monument.”

The William Wallace statue was created by renowned Edinburgh sculptor David Watson Stevenson.