Teams from the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Scotland have joined forces for the exciting and innovative Battle of Bannockburn Project, the site of Robert the Bruce's famous victory in 1314. Find the latest updates from the project below.

• Full time for Battle of Bannockburn temporary exhibitionFri 1st March 2013

  hide
  

  Full time for Battle of Bannockburn temporary exhibition

  Visitors looking ahead to the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn can drop by the onsite exhibition any day of the week from 1 March.
  
  The temporary facility, which gives a glimpse of what will be in store for visitors when the new facilities open in 2014, was set up after the almost 50-year-old Bannockburn Heritage Centre was demolished in October last year.
  
  Now open from 10am-5pm, 7 days a week, the temporary exhibition space provides an information point for the Battle of Bannockburn project and the heritage site. Visitors can watch an HD movie about the events of the battle and learn more about the onsite developments. Staff will be on hand to answer any queries, and a small shop offers a bespoke range of products featuring the already award-winning Bannockburn brand.
  
  Scott McMaster, Bannockburn Property Manager at the National Trust for Scotland said:
  
  “The temporary exhibition will give visitors a glimpse of the plans for our amazing new look here at Bannockburn. And as they’ll be able to see all the work that’s underway onsite and the fantastic progress we’re making with the building, we hope it will raise anticipation for 2014.”
  
  The site is also hosting a Cadbury Easter Egg Trail over the Easter weekend, from Friday 29 March until Monday 1 April. The National Trust for Scotland has teamed up with Cadbury to put on activities to keep all the family amused over the Easter weekend - follow the Easter trail, collect the clues and win a delicious Cadbury Easter egg. Come along on Sunday and Monday for extra fun, with face painting, games and more.
  
  Please be aware that the onsite monuments will be covered for the coming months while vital conservation work is carried out. For more information, please call ahead before travelling on 0844 493 2139 or email Bannockburn@nts.org.uk.

• Final repairs to Bannockburn flagpoleMon 21st January 2013

  show
  

  Final repairs to Bannockburn flagpole

  After years of rough treatment from the Scottish weather, the topmast of the iconic flagpole at the Bannockburn heritage site was declared as unsafe during a health and safety report undertaken by the National Trust for Scotland and it could no longer fly the saltire as it had done proudly since 1870. Repairs to the topmast were commissioned as part of the Battle of Bannockburn project, and it was finally removed in late 2012 for conservation and to be replaced.
  
  The flagpole is situated at the centre of the category A-listed Rotunda monument, where Robert the Bruce is said to have planted his standard in a borestone the night before the battle. The flagpole was erected on June 25th 1870, but the topmast had to be replaced in 1937 after a winter storm caused major damage. Specialist riggers from the Grangemouth dockyards applied a new electrically welded steel topmast and a stainless steel battleaxe was also added as a symbol of Bruce and acting as a weathervane.
  
  The recovered topmast has just been replaced by a new stainless steel version with factory applied machine grade coating to provide a long-life and reduced maintenance solution. A new stainless steel weather vane has also been created as a direct replica of the 1937 style with Bruce’s battle axe as the design. This now reaches the same height of the previous flagstaff at 120 feet.
  After some final minor enhancements are made to the newly-repaired flagpole, it will be able to fly the saltire again once more with pride.

• Sprucing up the BruceWed 19th December 2012

  show
  

  Sprucing up the Bruce

  Providing protection against the winter weather, an enclosed scaffold structure has been erected around the Charles d'Orville Pilkington Jackson monument to the Scottish King which was unveiled by the Queen in 1964. The conservation of the weather-beaten statue of Robert the Bruce begun this week. The category A-listed bronze monument, which depicts an axe-wielding Bruce on his war horse, has weathered over the decades transforming the original bronze appearance green.
  
  Work is now under way to clean, repair and fully wax seal the bronze following procedures based on best conservation practice. The Battle of Bannockburn project contractors Mansell Construction Ltd are working to employ specialist cleaning techniques to remove the green surface corrosion, after which a number of minor repairs will be carried before the sculpture is re-patinated and fully wax sealed to returned the ‘Bruce’ to his original appearance. This will return the work to its original glory and has been used to good effect recently on the Boer War Memorial to Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders at Stirling Castle. The impressive granite plinth on which Bruce sits will also undergo specialist masonry conservation work to rectify a number of units that have moved out of alignment.
  
  Work to restore the Bruce statue will be complete early 2013.
  
  Picture courtesy of Andrew Milligan, Press Association.

• Work begins to restore historic monuments at BannockburnWed 3rd October 2012

  show
  

  Work begins to restore historic monuments at Bannockburn

  Work is now gathering pace onsite at Bannockburn as the extensive work planned to restore the historic monuments is starting this week. The Stirling site is where Robert the Bruce is said to have planted his Standard in a Borestone the night before the battle. Over the centuries, the site has become a place of commemoration and monuments have been added. The Category A Listed monuments now include the Bruce statue, rotunda and flagpole, which will be restored to their former glory forming an integral part of the battle of Bannockburn project.
  
  A series of conservation, enhancement and remedial works follow extensive historic research and detailed analysis of the building construction of the monuments. These works will bring the condition of the Borestone Site to a level commensurate with the significance and quality of works created by their respective authors; craftsmen, engineers, architects and sculptor, fitting for the 700th anniversary of the battle that will incorporate sensitive external interpretation to enhance the visitor experience. Carefully planned landscaping works will also be implemented as a fundamental aspect of the project. This will add further to the setting and restore the dignity of the site.
  
  The programme for these works had to be planned to avoid the worst of the winter weather and the end completion date of June 2013. The team from Mansell Construction Services Ltd will be starting on preparatory works to accommodate vehicle access to the monuments on Wednesday 3rd October, with perimeter fencing erected to key areas following shortly after.
  
  Please be aware that in order to enable these crucial works, scaffolding will be added, with boundary fences installed to ensure public safety and comply with relevant health and safety legislation. Details of this will be posted throughout the grounds, providing details of the constraints that will be placed on public access to the monuments. This is a necessary part of our plans to restore the site in time for the 700th anniversary of the battle in 2014.