Following his execution at Smithfield in London on 23 August 1305, William Wallace’s severed head was placed on a spike on Drawbridge Gate on London Bridge.
Wallace’s head was the first recorded head ever to be displayed on the bridge and it launched a gruesome tradition that lasted over 350 years.
At one stage 30 heads were counted on the Gateway.
After being put on the spike, Wallace’s head was left to the elements to rot and eventually decompose.