Bannockburn Heritage Centre

Bannockburn Heritage Centre Review

In 1298, the year after William Wallace's victory, Robert the Bruce (1274-1329) emerged as the nation's champion, and the final bloody phase of the Wars of Independence began. Bruce's rise resulted from the uncertainties and timidity of the great lords of Scotland (ever unsure of which way to jump and whether or not to bow to England's demands). The story is told at the Bannockburn Heritage Centre, hidden among the sprawl of housing and commercial development on the southern edge of Stirling. This was the site of the famed Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. In Bruce's day the Forth had a shelved and partly wooded floodplain, so he cunningly chose this site, where the heavy horses of the English would founder in the boggy ground. You can learn about events of this time with a 10-minute audiovisual presentation, hands-on exhibits, and costumed figures. At the time of this writing, the building was being modernized for the 700th anniversary of the battle.