The Barnweil Monument to William Wallace
Symington, Ayrshire

The Barnweil Monument to William Wallace on a hilltop between Symington and Tarbolton, Ayrshire.

Built in 1855 and paid for by William Dobie of Beith and built by Robert Snodgrass, also of Beith, a small town about fifteen miles north of here.

The tower is visible on the skyline south of the A77 as it passes Symington.

The story that it's called Barnweil because William Wallace stood here as his troops burned the barns of Ayr and remarked “These English, they barn weil” is totally false. Sadly.

There was an old parish near here called Barnweill that was suppressed in the 17th century.

The monument is a category A listed building and is now in the care of South Ayrshire Council.

There's no parking available (room for one car on a grass verge) but the monument has brown tourist signs to guide visitors. The roads are a bit narrow.

It's a sixty foot high stone tower on a hilltop. It's not hard to find.

Sadly the tower is no longer open to the public due mostly to the radio masts on the roof and the associated risks of danger from the electricity supply.

Maintenance of the monument and grounds seem to have been stopped for some years.