In 1997, a statue of ?William Wallace? was placed in the car park of the Wallace Monument. The statue however appeared not to resemble the historic face of Wallace; rather it seemed to be modelled after Mel Gibson's appearance as Wallace in the film Braveheart. Wallace?s shield even reads the word ?Braveheart? as can be seen on the image on the left.
William Temby claimed that Scottish people found this disturbing and that groups have agitiated for the removal of the statue due to its obvious lack of authenticity. Officials denied this request, and the statue has been subject to regular vandalism. As a result it was, incongruously for a sculpture that bears the word "freedom", enclosed in a security fence.According to the Rampant Scotland Newsletter, as of September 2004, with the lease for the space it occupies due to expire, the statue was for sale at an asking price of ?350,000 with no takers.This discontent may be responsible for noticeable damage inflicted upon the statue's nose.
Wallace Monument