Bannockburn

A flagpole and the stone "Borestone" within the Rotunda mark the spot where it is believed Robert the Bruce set up his headquarters on June 23, 1314. The following day he and his army inflicted a heavy defeat on the English army under Edward II. The victory memorial which shows Robert the Bruce on a bronze horse, protected by chain mail and armor, battle-ax aloft and looking south towards the approaching English foe, was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on the 650th anniversary of the battle of Bannockburn.

Opened in 1987, the Bannockburn Heritage Centre documents Scottish history from the Wars of Independence to the Union with England at the beginning of the 17th C. "The Kingdom of Scotland" exhibition uses pictures and models, while in an annex the course of the Battle of Bannockburn (Gaelic = "Blar Allt a'Bhain-Chnuic") is explained using audio-visual techniques. Models include knights from William Wallace's entourage and a statue of the victorious King Robert I on his throne and information is also available on the "Lords of the Isles", those clans who once controlled the west of Scotland from Glenelg to the Mull of Kintyre. A section entitled "The Marriage between Thistle and Rose" covers the union between James IV and Margaret Tudor and also details the fragile peace that followed. Other topics covered in the Heritage Centre include the Scottish legal system, the Reformation in Scotland and the Stuart kings up to James VI.