Pieces of the past: Scottish history plays out on family heirlooms in the making
Bygone battles inspire stunning Caledonian chess sets
The story behind the luxury chess sets sold by family partnership Stirling 1314 is almost as remarkable as the sets themselves.
Born from a love of Scotland, history, writing and creativity, the journey of the impressive pewter sets first began when John Morgan was captivated by the work of Scottish historical novelist Nigel Tranter.
“I was at a friend’s villa in southern Spain, scanning the bookshelf, when I came across Path of the Hero King, the second book in Tranter’s The Bruce trilogy,” explains John. “On my return to Scotland, I bought books one and three and read the whole trilogy, cover to cover. I was inspired by the epic story of the Battle of Bannockburn, but even more so by the ability of Nigel Tranter to turn a potential lecture into adventure.”
It wasn’t until an artisan modelmaker entered John and wife Morag’s Cornerstone Gallery & Gift shop in Dunblane, however, that the idea of
creating an iconic chess set based on the famous battle was born. “Steve Trickett came to see us, to offer the Fantasy pewter chess set he had created. Unlike any chess set I had ever seen before, every single piece was different. It was utterly stunning,” says John. “It was only
then I thought, ‘why don’t we make a Bannockburn chess set?’”
The notion intrigued modelmaker Steve and thus began the two year-long process leading to the luxury chess sets offered by Stirling 1314 today. “I contacted Nigel Tranter himself who proved to be a true gentlemen,” John says. “He was a delight to work with and referred us to a young costume historian, Andrew Spratt.”
Every piece in the Bannockburn set was illustrated by Spratt, advised on by Tranter and modelled by Trickett – right down to minute detail, from belt buckles to equine battledress, with each figure telling its own part of the Bannockburn story.
Once the sets were made, the next step was taking them to market. John explains: “Our very first step was to take a stand at the NEC Annual Trade Show in Birmingham – and I will never forget – the first set we sold was to Walt Disney for the Epcot Centre in Disneyworld!”
Leisure activity was always in short supply for John, but whatever time there was, Robert Burns was involved. He has chaired his own Old Manor Burns Club in Bridge of Allan for over 40 years. It was no surprise then, that the next step of Stirling 1314’s journey would be the creation of a second luxury chess set, this time inspired by the work of the immortal Robert Burns.
John explains: “I worked again with Steve Trickett to create the pieces for this set, and took guidance from my good friend John Cairney. “Burns has captivated me for decades, so it was an adventure and a thrill to decide who (and what) would feature in this set.”
As with the Bannockburn set, all 32 chess pieces are different, with figures inspired by characters and places from Burns’ life.
The star of the set, however, is the chess board itself. Each of the 32 light squares is etched with key lines from Burns’ most celebrated works in his own handwriting, producing a stunning work of art.
Stirling 1314’s luxury chess sets are a unique celebration of Scotland’s history and the inherent creativity of successive generations. To be enjoyed today and treasured for generations to come, they are true heirlooms in the making.