Wallace & Wall

After the competition Carrick's good friend the Glasgow sculptor Alexander Proudfoot sent a telegram to him which read:

' CARRICK'S WALLACE...STOP

...CLAPPERTON'S BRUCE...STOP

...LORIMER'S NICHES...STOP

...SAY NOTHING!...STOP'

Left - T.J. Clapperton's 'Robert the Bruce' in Lorimer's gothic niche on the left of the gateway.

Right - a newspaper clipping with Carrick's competition entry, the original maquette of Wallace in James B. Dunn's niche which appears to have been based on the archway.

Left - Carrick's William Wallace, Edinburgh Castle -

Again perhaps Carrick's design for the Wallace may also be based on wordplay as at Killin and possibly Fraserburgh...the meaning of the words 'Wallace' and 'Wall' become intemixed.

There is a story that the King of Sparta Leonidas was conducting a visitor to the city. Sparta was the only Greek city to have no defensive walls and when the visitor saw this he was shocked and asked the king how a city can be defended without walls. Leonidas simply replied that every Spartan citizen was a stone and they were the walls of Sparta.