The Wallace Tower was built in 1882 replacing the first Wallace tower (Auld tour) which was owned by the Wallace family of Craigie and is located in Ayr’s High Street and is a Neo Gothic monument standing 113 ft in height.
The tower was designed with an empty niche and the people of the town voted for a statue to be placed in the niche which ironically turned out to be William Wallace the Scottish freedom fighter. It is said to stand on the site of a barn where Wallace held 500 captured English soldiers – who had invaded the town – before setting it ablaze. However the name Wallace given to the tower is in connection to the family and not William Wallace.
