The Stirling Smith - Now and Then
The Stirling Smith first opened to the public in August 1874, and has served Stirling for over 130 years. But how did the Smith Institute, as it was originally known, come to be built in the Scotland of Queen Victoria's reign? Please follow this link for a detailed article by the Stirling Smith's current director, Dr Elspeth King, which describes the history of the museum and art gallery from the earliest years of its establishment right up until recent times.
An Illustrated Tour of the Smith
Alternatively, you may like to take a visual tour of the Smith building, including our galleries and visitor service areas. Discover more about the museum and the experiences that we offer here.
Texts of Lectures at the Smith
Many lectures have taken place at the Smith, having been delivered by a wide variety of speakers over the years. You can find the text of some of these lectures by clicking here.
No trip to the Stirling Smith could possibly be complete without a visit to Ailie's Garden. A popular and acclaimed visitor attraction in its own right, Ailie's Garden is the culmination of a vast amount of voluntary effort which has resulted in one of the area's finest sensory and biodiversity gardens. We look forward to welcoming you there.
Now you can view video footage of the Stirling Smith, with the following clips that appear on our YouTube channel. To watch the videos, click here - or to see the whole range of them, why not go to the Stirling Smith channel on YouTube?
Did you know that the Stirling Smith was once home to a bona-fide megastar? Click here to find out more about the charismatic Hamish McKye Denovan, the Smith's one-time "publicity coo", who is admired far and wide for his rugged Highland charm.
The Stirling Smith has hosted a number of celebrity guests during its long history. But in September 2007 it was home to a little touch of Hollywood razzmatazz when a special book of film analysis was launched as part of the Stirling Book Festival. For more information, please click here.