The Art of Ailsa Black
The end of a significant year for Stirling, and the historic, 140th anniversary year for the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, will be brought to a colourful conclusion by an exhibition of the work of the Scottish artist Ailsa Black. Weather forecasters have promised a snow- free
The Wallace Monument and the River Forth, 1898
This painting, by Art Master Edmund Baker (died 1926) of the High School of Stirling, is a recent purchase for the Stirling Smith, with the support of the National Fund for Acquisitions and the Friends of the Smith. Edmund was first employed in the capacity of an assistant in 1889,
Stirling’s Plaza Ballroom
Syd Kerr’s Plaza Orchestra was the key to the success of Stirling’s Plaza Ballroom. The Plaza was created in 1946 from the former cinema, situated between Lower Craigs and Goosecroft, and had a balcony café above the dance floor. For a generation, it was the great romantic meeting place. Observer
International Recognition for The Stirling Smith Collections
International Recognition for the Stirling Smith Collections Whilst many Scottish Museums have participated in the National Recognition Scheme for museum collections, the Stirling Smith has been given the gift of international recognition. For over a year, the Smith has worked in partnership with the Australian Research Council’s Centre of
North Sea Oil
Why does the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum have two sample bottles of North Sea Oil, when Stirling is quite a distance away from the North Sea? As always, the answer lies in Stirling’s geography, right at the heart of Scotland, and a crossing point of all major roads.
Burgh Officer’s Uniform
Kenneth Derrick, pictured here, was the last Stirling Council Officer, 1974-1996, to wear the traditional uniform, which he has donated recently to the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum. With this uniform, he was part of a long tradition, beginning in July 1607 when the Burgh of Stirling decided that
The Stirling Ploughman, Henry Morley
The Stirling Smith has a number of works by the Stirling based artist Henry Morley (1870-1937), and in 2004 mounted a major exhibition on his life and work. Born in Nottingham, his art studies took him to Paris, where he studied at Julian’s Academy and fell in love with Stirling
Celebrating Valentine’s Day in Stirling
Tomorrow is St. Valentine’s Day, and Stirling, branded in recent years as ‘Scotland’s Heart’, is the place to be. This mass – produced post card of the Wallace Monument, enveloped in a heart of forget – me – nots dates to the early 1900s and is in the Stirling Smith