King Street in 1860
Here is a King Street that none of us have ever known. It is only a small section of the street, but it is tightly packed with businesses. On the left is Angus Ewing, Stabling, then Vance’s Boot and Shoe Warehouse, where a street level entry gives access to Alexander
The Fountain of Helicon
There are many rare and unusual pieces in the Stirling Smith collections, and the Fountain of Helicon is one of them. Time has not been kind to it, and it has been in store since the 1960s. We are currently seeking an appraisal for cleaning and restoration. This extraordinary work
Rome by Robert Macpherson
At the last meeting of the Stirling Smith Trustees, the loan of this painting for four months in 2018 to La Boverie, the new Museum of Fine Arts in Liege, Belgium, was approved. La Boverie, working with the Louvre will present an exhibition on the European Grand Tour, popular with
Stirling Painted: capturing the beauty of the landscape on canvas
The current Stirling Smith exhibition, supported by the Friends of the Smith, sets out to show how Stirling was painted throughout the ages. Among many old friends are two new additions to the collection, gifted by Annabel Young of Dunblane and painted by the artist B Rounthwaite. Both show Stirling
A Cambusbarron Childhood: Peter Paterson
This is the childhood memoir of writer, teacher and historian Peter Paterson, who recently passed away. Published in 1998, it is one of the most important histories of Stirling for our times. It is a remembrance of things past and a detailed account of growing up in Cambusbarron in the 1950s.
Bridge Clock Tower
Not many give a thought to the handsome clock tower at the south end of the Stevenson Bridge, marooned on a traffic island since the opening of the Inner Relief Road in 1971. This photograph, gifted to the Smith by John Calderbank of Stockport, shows it in 1914. The tower,
Strathendrick Tablecloth
This year, the Scottish Women’s Institute centenary is being celebrated all over the country. The Stirling Smith is exhibiting the work of the Stirling, Clackmannan and /West Perthshire Federation of the SWI, and the 175 works on show have been the subject of much comment and admiration. In the exhibition,
Stirling Futureworld
With so much anticipation of what the new Stirling City Deal will bring, a look at past developments, like Stirling Futureworld, launched in July 1984, is timely. The Futureworld plans were big and breath-taking, and launched with a style and on a scale which rarely had been seen in Scotland
The Isle of Iona – a special place even with the weather!
With the holiday season now in full swing I thought that this image would be most appropriate. Scotland is a beautiful country full of historic sites and castles, breath taking scenery and very friendly natives (most of the time!) I am ashamed to admit that I have travelled more extensively,
Polmaise: Stirling’s Star Ship
30 years after the closure of Polmaise No 3 and 4 Pits, it is important to remember the significance of the achievement of the coal industry and the men who made it. Recent additions to the Stirling Smith collections include a Stirling District Council publication, Polmaise, The Facts, arguing