Stirling Old Bridge

1831

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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Room

View by appointment

Artist: Joseph Mallord William Turner 1775–1851
Part of: Stirling and the West Sketchbook
Medium: Graphite on paper
Dimensions: Support: 125 x 201 mm
Collection: Tate
Acquisition: Accepted by the nation as part of the Turner Bequest 1856
Reference: D26456
Turner Bequest CCLXX 11

Catalogue entry

Stirling’s Old Bridge forms the focal point of this view of Stirling from the north-east. Standing at the approach to the bridge we look across the River Forth to Stirling with the castle on the hill above the town. The tower of the Holy Rude Parish Church can also be seen just to the left of the bridge turrets. There is a similar view on folio 15 (D26464) and a view of Stirling from the bridge on folio 10 verso (D26455). For references to all of Turner’s sketches of Stirling in this book, see folio 13 (D26460).

Across the top of the page are two sketches of the outlines of distant hills, probably the Ochil Hills to the north of Stirling. The inscription running up the page to the left of the sketches appears to be unconnected to them. This says ‘Dunard’, which David Wallace-Hadrill and Janet Carolan have noted forms part of an inscription on folio 70 (D26575).1

Thomas Ardill
June 2010

Wallace-Hadrill and Carolan 1990, vol.10 no.1, p.17.

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