By Kirsty Gilchrist The 2026 exhibition at the Scottish Maritime Museum, Gu’un the Fish n’ that, is a sound installation by East Anglian based artist Beverley Carruthers, celebrating the lives and legacy of the herring girls, and the vital…
Celebrates Scotland’s ‘herring girls’ Harbour Road, Irvine Opening Sunday 16th August A powerful new exhibition celebrating Scotland’s formidable ‘herring girls’ who travelled from Orkney and Shetland down to East Anglia in search of seasonal work during the 19th and 20th century Scottish herring boom…
By Kirsty Gilchrist The National Year of Reading 2026 Campaign has inspired us to highlight our museum library. Mostly organised by museum volunteers, the library is currently having a bit of a makeover to allow the space to be…
Written by Jane Frances Ghiselli - MA Museum Studies student, University of Glasgow. Epilogue by Jennifer Pless, SMM Community Engagement Officer ‘The Arkivz’ is a scrapbook full of documents that span roughly 60 years of the Drawing Office of William…
By Kirsty Gilchrist and Heather Munro At the Scottish Maritime Museum, a large percentage of our collection is formed of industrial objects of significance. This requires us to take specific actions and follow certain rules regarding conservation. When caring…
A brief introduction Hello All! I’m Mike, I recently attended some workshop sessions in the museum as part of an overall task for Keep Scotland Beautiful working alongside Jen and Claire in the Learning and Engagement team to develop a…
Scottish Maritime Museum Boatshop, Irvine Harbourside FREE EXHIBITION Opens Saturday 6th June A new free exhibition exploring consumerism and environmental change in North Ayrshire created by emerging local artist Casey McCracken opens at the Scottish Maritime Museum on Saturday 6th…
By Kirsty Gilchrist One of the oldest records in the Scottish Maritime Museum’s collection is a rental document from the 19th century. This agreement between John Shedden, a fisherman from Saltcoats, and the Earl of Eglinton & Winton concerns the conversion of old stables into cottages for use by fishing families. It has been noted that throughout…
By Kirsty Gilchrist The exhibition ‘Beach Today’ is based on a daily photography project developed during lockdown walks along the Ayrshire coast from Barassie to Irvine. These photographs, taken over a 3-month period, acted as diary entries for artist…
By Kirsty Gilchrist Sir Muirhead Bone - born in Partick, Glasgow, in 1876 - was an artist known for his quick and precise execution of the industrial landscape, particularly the shipyards on the Clyde, and many architectural subjects. The son of a journalist, he was apprenticed to…