Door to Carnock House
The great front door of Carnock House was donated to the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum in 1938 by the Carron Iron Company, prior to the demolition of 1940. It is built of three thicknesses of wood, strengthened with big iron studs. An unusual feature is the loophole near
Old Stirling Bridge
11th September is the 716th anniversary of William Wallace’s famous victory of the Battle of Stirling Bridge and to mark it is a painting of Old Stirling Bridge, 1915 by James Bisset Crockart (1885 – 1974). This purchase was made possible with grants from the Stirling Common Good Fund and
Chain from the Healing Pools of St Fillan
Six links of an old iron chain survive in the Stirling Smith Collections – all that is left of the chain which bound those with a mental illness at the healing pool of St.Fillan near Killin. The Irish monk St. Fillan came to Scotland in 717AD, and gave his name
Glorious Glass
This window is one of two in a private billiard hall building in Stirling and is the distinctive work of the stained glass designer, John C Hall. Born in Glasgow in 1867 Hall attended classes at Glasgow School of Art in the early 1890s before launching out as an independent
Dunblane in 1887
This watercolour by artist John Bell shows a rural Dunblane of 1887. It is a recent purchase for the Stirling Smith collections courtesy of Dr Robin Campbell and the Stirling Common Good Fund. Not much is known about the artist. There are some works by him in York Museum collections
Ming Dynasty Cup, Chinese New Year, Stirling
Ming Cup The Year of the Rooster 2017 is now well underway. It was brought to Stirling by a huge Chinese dragon, dancing to the delight of the crowds at the Albert Hall, followed by a night of spectacular performances of Chinese song, music, dance, gymnastics and magic. This was
Municipal buildings, Stirling
Places change their geographical focus through time. For most of the twentieth century, Corn Exchange was the commercial, literary, ceremonial and municipal centre of Stirling. Shown here is a royal visit at the Municipal Buildings in 1929. The Municipal Buildings were opened less than 100 years ago in 1918, joining
Celebrating Robert Burns in Stirling
Stirling has always celebrated the work of Robert Burns, from the time of his visit in 1787 when he stayed at Wingate’s Inn (now the Golden Lion Hotel). For many years, 27 August, the day Burns dined with Dr David Doig of Stirling Grammar School and Lieutenant Forrester of the
Stirling Artists
This column often features paintings which are part of the art history of Stirling and Scotland. The Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum was founded by a practising artist, Thomas Stuart Smith, with his own paintings and works of his contemporaries as the foundation collection. The Smith, therefore has a
Beautiful Stirling, Alexander Kellock Brown RSA RSW RI (1849 – 1922)
Featured today is a watercolour by the eminent Glasgow artist, Alexander Kellock Brown RSA RSW RI (1849 – 1922), purchased recently for the Stirling Smith collections. The artist’s viewpoint is from the Cornton area, looking across the Forth to what was Winshel Place at Laurencecroft (now Drip Road) in the