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,
Remembering Bannockburn the Bannockburn Brooch
The brand new visitor centre, interpreting the Battle of Bannockburn, will satisfy every question, about the momentous events of 23-24 June 1314, when it opens later this year. It is 50 years since the old visitor centre opened, to join the great flagpole, put up in 1870 to enable people
Stirling Threads
The year of Homecoming, 2014, started in great style with wonderful fireworks displays at the Castle and Wallace Monument. 2014 will be Stirling’s year, with so many special anniversaries – the centenary of the start of the Great War and the birth of Stirling – born film maker, Norman McLaren,
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
Stirling Observer Christmas
The Stirling Observer Christmas Numbers are now the history journals of their times. This issue for 25 December 1949 is a recent gift to the Stirling Smith by Finlay Lumsden of Deanston, and is a window into the world of Stirling, 65 years ago. The cover is by Sandford Morley
A Traveller’s Dreams, June Carey
The June Carey exhibition continues at the Stirling Smith until 10 January. Born, raised and still resident in Stirling, June Carey is a Scottish artist with and international reputation. The Smith has purchased this work in pastel from the exhibition, with the support of the Stirling Common Good Fund. The
Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Stirling Railway Station
The railway came to Stirling through an Act of Parliament of 1845, bringing trade and tourism in a big way, and altering Stirling’s outlook and travelling habits. The advent of the railway saw the end of cattle droving; within 50 years, the great trysts of Doune and Falkirk had ceased,
Hairdressing in Stirling
Today’s story shows a Stirling Hairdresser of an earlier era. The salon of Archibald A. Ross was at 12A Upper Craigs (at present, The Trophy Centre) from 1930-1961. This photograph of the late 1950s, shows his son Archibald B.E. Ross, at the shop doorway. The window has a good range
Carbeth Hutters
The story of the Carbeth Hutters is a special one in Stirling district, and unique in Britain. It started as one of the activities of the Clarion Scouts, a socialist movement which aimed to give working people from the city a taste of the countryside. Land owner Allan Barns Graham
William Ramsay of Barnton (1809-1850)
This is a print of an engraving made by Thomas Lupton in 1845 showing the dashing figure of William Ramsay of Barnton MP, skilled horseman, landowner and Conservative politician who gave his name to Barnton Street, Stirling. When Ramsay was still an infant, his father died, making him ‘the richest