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where braveheart met his end

William Wallace Memorial

Free
Smithfield · Barbican
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A wall plaque at Smithfield marking where the Scottish hero Braveheart was brutally executed, often heaped with flowers and saltires.

Getting there. On the wall of St Bartholomew's Hospital at Smithfield, a short walk from Barbican station.
Free memorial
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Smithfield · Barbican
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The lowdown

Set into the wall of St Bartholomew's Hospital at Smithfield is a memorial to Sir William Wallace, the Scottish leader of the wars of independence, who was hanged, drawn and quartered on this spot in 1305. The plaque marks the place of one of the most brutal executions in English history, carried out to make a savage example of him.

Far from forgotten, the memorial is a place of pilgrimage for Scots, often draped with saltire flags, flowers and wreaths, especially around the August anniversary. It is free to visit, a small and surprisingly emotive corner of London history pressed up against the old meat market.

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The insider tip

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It sits on the hospital wall just off the open space of Smithfield, look for the flowers and Scottish flags that usually mark it. The Golden Boy at Pye Corner and St Bartholomew the Great are both a minute away.
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