ABOUT THE STATUE:
"This impressive, larger-than-life statue of Scotland's national hero has stood in Aberdeen since 1888. The idea and the money came from Victorian historian John Steill. The sculptor was W Grant Stevenson.
The statue is located at the junction of Union Terrace and Rosemount Viaduct. Towering over the sunken Union Terrace Gardens, it stands on a large traffic island opposite three of Aberdeen's most famous buildings, the Central Library, St Mark's Church and His Majesty's Theatre. These stately granite buildings are known locally as Education, Salvation & Damnation.
Union Terrace lies at right angles to Union Street, Aberdeen's main thoroughfare, and the statue of William Wallace is only a few minutes' walk from it.
One of the four sides of the plinth of the statue of William Wallace offers a historical summing up of the situation which faced Scotland in his times. The first sentence of this inscription reads:
Edward First of England, having attempted to annex Scotland to his dominions, was opposed by Wallace, through whose consummate vision and valour the English were driven out of Scotland and her independence was restored.
Another side of the plinth offers a direct quote from William Wallace:
"When I was a youth, and under the care of my uncle, all that I could carry away from him was a single proverb, but it seemed to me above all price, and I never forgot it. It was this:- 'I tell you a truth, liberty is the best of all things. My son, never live under a slavish bond.'"
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In the statue, William Wallace appears to be wearing a tunic, belt, cloak and chain mail. A cord around his neck and under his right arm holds what appears to be a horn. He holds a sword in his right hand with the tip resting on the ground at this feet. He holds his left hand and arm out to his left side.
ABOUT THE MAN:
"Sir William Wallace (Medieval Gaelic: Uilliam Uallas; modern Scottish Gaelic: Uilleam Uallas; Norman French: William le Waleys; c. 1270 – 23 August 1305) was a Scottish landowner who became one of the main leaders during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army at the Battle of Stirling Bridge in September 1297, and was appointed Guardian of Scotland, serving until his defeat at the Battle of Falkirk in July 1298. In August 1305 Wallace was captured in Robroyston near Glasgow and handed over to King Edward I of England, who had him hanged, drawn, and quartered for high treason and crimes against English civilians.
Since his death, Wallace has obtained an iconic status far beyond his homeland. He is the protagonist of the 15th-century epic poem The Wallace, by Blind Harry. Wallace is also the subject of literary works by Sir Walter Scott and Jane Porter and of the 1995 Academy Award-winning film Braveheart."
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