Forthside Past and Future
On Monday night, the Friends of the Smith are hosting a talk by Colin Tennant of Historic Scotland on the development of the Engine Shed, Forthside as Scotland’s first National Conservation Centre. This new national facility in Stirling will act as a focal point for those seeking information, advice and
Cast Iron Fireplace
Even the mantle shelf of this fireplace, made in 1894 – 5 is of cast iron. It has been in the Stirling Smith collections for many decades, but until a few weeks ago it had thick layers of paint, in white pink and gold, obscuring the original design. Thanks to
Stirling Castle, John O’Connor (1830 – 1889)
This rare print of a work by Irish artist John O’Connor (1830 – 1889) is a recent gift to the Stirling Smith collections. It was donated by Jean Archibald, who when working for the British Library, was able to pick up interesting Scottish views from the print shops in Great
Stirlingshire Collieries
This rare plate, donated to the Smith collections by colliery workers William McKinlay and Raymond Frew, attempts, to sum up the significance of the Stirlingshire collieries. That the miners and the mining industry were as important to Stirling, as Stirling Castle, William Wallace and Robert the Bruce is undeniable.
The Stirling Smith Girl, Marie Louise Wrightson
With the New Year comes a new face at the Smith. The Stirling Smith Girl is the creation of artist Marie Louise Wrightson, done as homage to J G Mathieson’s Stirling Girl of 1928, which in turn honoured the Gibson Girl of the 1890s. The Stirling Smith Girl is a
Thomas Stuart Smith
145 years ago today, the artist Thomas Stuart Smith died in a hotel in Avignon. The death was sudden and unexpected. He had planned to be in Stirling to personally superintend the building of the Smith Institute in 1870-71, but he died of ‘apoplexy’ following a cold. He was buried
The Real Stirling Christmas, The Drummond Tract Depot
This illustration of the birth of Jesus with the shepherds in attendance in the cattle shed is a classic pre-War illustration from The Greatest Story Ever, printed by the Drummond Tract Depot or Stirling Tract Enterprise. The Drummond Family, as seed merchants and agricultural improvers, did much to shape the
St Fillan’s chain, from a healing pool at Killin
The six links of the chain of St. Fillan, Killin, in the Stirling Smith collections are not much to look at, but they can be counted among the treasures of the Smith. They caught the imagination of a group of students at the University of Western Australia who made a