Bannockburn, Andrew Hillhouse

During the summer, this very detailed painting of the Battle of Bannockburn by Andrew Hillhouse is on display in the Stirling Smith Art Gallery’s Bannockburn exhibition. In it, the artist has attempted to include all of the action of the second day of the battle, 24 June 1314. The information

Continue reading

Norman McLaren & Grierson: Tales from the Archive

The Norman McLaren Archive The photograph, from the University of Stirling Archives, shows a sunny day in the back garden of 21 Albert Place, Stirling.  Left to right are William McLaren, his sister Jessie, his son film maker Norman McLaren, and Norman’s friends Helen Biggar and Biddy Russell. This is

Continue reading

James Wedlake Bannockburn 700

James gives us an insight into the Smith’s own Bannockburn exhibition on the Art in Scotland TV webchannel.

Continue reading

Art UK: Art Detectives identify Hamilton Macallum painting location.

The Public Catalogue Foundation now known as Art UK has, over the past ten years photographed 210,000 publicly owned oil paintings from 3,000 collections in the UK.  All of which are available to see on the PCF website. The launch of the ‘Art Detective’ programme has opened the doors for

Continue reading

Stirling Annual Charities Week, 1938

The invasion of 11 May 1938 had nothing to do with Europe. Apparently the invaders, who arrived in a canoe at Stirling Harbour, came from Montreal. They were Native American Braves, led by Chief Pokobawbees, who arrived to relieve the Stirling people of their spare cash – all in aid

Continue reading

The Bruce by John Barbour

The Declaration of Arbroath, sent by the barons and nobles of Scotland to the Pope on 6 April 1320, was a document which underlined the freedom won at Bannockburn and shaped political thought in Scotland and elsewhere thereafter. This version was stitched as part of the Smith’s 2014 banner by

Continue reading

Walking the Marches

From the beginning of recorded time, the Provost and officials of Scottish burghs have walked the burgh boundary once a year, checking that the march stones are in place and that, there are no illegal encroachments on burgh land. In the border towns, and Linlithgow and Edinburgh, the marches are

Continue reading

Bannockburn 700 lecture

At 12 noon on Thursday 1 May, poet Robert Crawford will speak in the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum on Bannockburns: Scottish Independence and Literary Imagination, 1314 – 2014, which is the subject of his latest book. This is a rare opportunity to meet one of Scotland’s leading poets

Continue reading

The Pacific Collection – Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum

On Wednesday 19th February, the Stirling Smith was lucky enough to be visited by Eve Haddow, Assistant Curator at National Museums Scotland. Eve has been working on the Pacific Collections Review- a project dedicated to increasing information on and exploring the relationships between collections based on the Pacific islands in

Continue reading
Bridge of Allan Golf Course

Bridge of Allan Golf Course

With the Ryder Cup exhibition in the Stirling Smith, we continue to explore the local story of golf.  The Bridge of Allan Golf Course was laid out by the famous Old Tom Morris in 1895, on ground selected by him.  Shown here is Edmund Pullar declaring the extended course open

Continue reading