The centre will close by 1 October 2026, with re-opening currently projected for mid-2028. The grounds will remain open and accessible throughout the works, although access to the Grade A listed Rotunda will be limited at times to enable conservation work to take place.

The National Trust for Scotland has owned and cared for the site, where Robert the Bruce raised his Standard on the eve of the two-day battle in June 1314, since the 1930s.

The charity worked in partnership with Historic Scotland, with £9.1m funding from the Scottish Government and Heritage Lottery Fund, to create the current visitor centre for the 700th anniversary of the battle in 2014, replacing outdated facilities from the 1960s.  Since then, it has welcomed over 300,000 visitors, using big screens and animations to help bring the battle to life for visitors.

The National Trust for Scotland’s regional director for Edinburgh & East, Stuart Maxwell, said: “Bannockburn is an important place for so many people, and it is vital that we continue to develop both the visitor experience and the facilities to the standard that a site of such significance merits.

“With this project, we’ll be comprehensively updating the experience to share the Bannockburn story in ways that resonate with people as well as making a whole range of repairs and updates, including upgrades to improve sustainability, helping our charity towards its objective to cut carbon emissions.”

The project is expected to cost in the region of £3 million and follows a successful campaign by the National Trust for Scotland in 2024 and 2025 to protect the wider landscape in the area from an unsuitable proposal for a horse-trotting track, which the charity said would harm the historic integrity of the site. The development was rejected by Scottish Ministers in June 2025.