Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
The Smith Institute first opened to the public on 11 August 1874. It was an occasion for great celebration in Stirling, and the shops in the town closed at 12 noon to allow people to attend the opening. Nevertheless, there were some mixed feelings, for Thomas Stuart Smith, had died in 1869 and the location of the building was felt by many people to be too far away from the old town.
Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum
"As you entered the room on the right, you stopped dead in your tracks, because, there in front of you was a stuffed wild cat which looked alive and ready to pounce on you. The stuffed birds of prey looked every bit as alive as the wild cat, especially one of the eagles. I used to duck as I ran past it. In the glass cases against the wall, there were snakes in liquid in tall glass jars, also creepy crawlies. Not my favourite part of the museum, as it gave me nightmares. There were steps which led into another part of the room. There was a stone age display of bowls, round grinders with a hole in the middle to put a stick so you could turn it to grind corn, etc. What was so interesting was that man had made these, and the tools that were needed for cooking."