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
To give an account of how the Friends of the Smith worked to ensure a future for the Smith would take a book in itself. David Brown, who was a member of the Executive Committee of the Friends, 1986–1996, and twice Chairman in that period, gives a flavour of what the work involved.