Work has begun to restore a memorial statue of Robert the Bruce ahead of the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn.

The weather-beaten statue at Bannockburn in Stirling has been surrounded with scaffolding, while fencing has been put up at the field-site of the battle.

The area in which the statue stands is said to be where Bruce defeated King Edward II's English army in 1314 to secure an independent monarch for Scotland.

Now the National Trust is working with Historic Scotland to improve the site before the anniversary in 2014.

The statue depicts the iconic historical figure of Robert the Bruce, sitting proudly on his charge and wielding an axe, clad in armour.

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It was created by sculptor Charles d’Orville Pilkington Jackson and unveiled by the Queen in 1964, during the 650th anniversary of the battle.

The statue was cast in bronze but it has been slowly turning green over the decades.

A notice pinned to a fence at the site explains: "Work is now under way to clean, repair and fully wax seal the sculpture, following procedures based on best conservation practice.

"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 statue’s granite plinth is said to be "in need of attention", due to a number of units having moved out of alignment.

The masonry also needs to be realigned to ensure no water enters the structure and damages it.

The work is expected to continue to the middle of next year and is part of the Battle of Bannockburn Project; a series of repairs and renovations being funded by the Scottish Government and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

(IT)