This section is devoted to the people of Irvine, some of them were born in the town, some lived here and some just visited for a short time. Some achieved great things, some are famous names and some accomplished tiny things which shaped the world we live in. For a small Scottish town on the Ayrshire coast the people associated with Irvine have made a massive impression and will never be forgotten.
DAVID KEIR POSTER
Stained Glass Artist David Keir was born in Irvine in 1802 and died in Glasgow in 1864. He is one a very small of pioneers in this field; Scotland's churches had rejected the use of stained glass after the Reformation in 1560. It was only in the early decades of the 19th Century that the first modern era windows were approved and installed. Keir created a thriving practice in Glasgow and is principally remembered for his work in the installation of 26 windows at Glasgow Cathedral. The year following his death, his sons installed a commemorative window and plaque, which can now be viewed at the South Entrance to the Cathedral - this is a very rare honour to have been accorded to an artist/craftsman. You can find out more here:
www.theglasgowstory.com/image.php?inum=TGSE01067
His prodigious output included several windows in the Mure Church in Irvine ( the principal West Window of which is shown in the design of this poster, photographed by Donald Gibson). For more on this:
www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/sc-35412-west-road-mure-...
He and his sons were partly responsible for training one of the mid to late Victorian Era's greatest stained glass and interior decoration artists, a Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood-inspired genius - Daniel Cottier
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Cottier
MONTGOMERY POSTER
This poster promotes one of Irvine's most notable sons, James Montgomery. He became a poet (writing many lyrics for hymns), a journalist and newspaper proprietor and an active social reformer (twice jailed by the Government for promoting his views). He was so loved by the people of his adopted home of Sheffield that he was accorded the honour of a public funeral, a statue was erected of him , a fountain and a window in Sheffield Cathedral dedicated to his memory and several streets and public buildings in that city bear his name.
He is best known for writing the words to the hymn, 'Angels from the Realms of Glory' (and beautiful words they are too):
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDWUY3Me1kA
You can read more about his remarkable life here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Montgomery_(editor)
ROBERT B MANTELL POSTER
This is the 2nd poster designed on this subject. Unlike the previous design, which was in the style of the era of this actor, the present design has been created in the 'house style' of the Time Town series. For more information on R B Mantell: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_B._Mantell
and:
www.imdb.com/name/nm0544071/bio
MACMILLAN POSTER
This poster celebrates the connection between Irvine and one of the largest publishing houses on the planet, Macmillan. Alexander, born in Irvine in 1818, co-founded this global business in London with his brother Daniel (who was the grandfather of British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan) in 1843. Among their famous books, you can find 'Westward Ho!', 'Tom Brown's School Days' and the works of Lewis Carroll, Alfred Tennyson, Thomas Hardy and Rudyard Kipling.
AGNES MILLER PARKER POSTER
Agnes Miller Parker was a prolific and talented illustrator and artist. Trained at The Glasgow School of Art and married to fellow student and artist William McCance; her principal medium was woodcut. She mastered this notoriously difficult method and produced hundreds of superb drawings, many of which are to be found in books such as those by Thomas Hardy and H.E. Bates. For more information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agnes_Miller_Parker