Pioneering Curator Transformed Glasgow's People's Palace into a Living Museum of Social History

Elspeth King, a renowned museum director and curator, passed away in 2025 at the age of 76. During her tenure as curator of the People's Palace museum in Glasgow from 1974 to 1990, King reshaped the institution into a living record of the city's social history.

When King arrived at the People's Palace, the museum had lost its way, becoming a place of dusty displays and dwindling visitors. King brought new energy and a conviction that the stories of Glasgow's working-class citizens - its shipbuilders, factory workers, musicians, and market traders - deserved to be at the heart of the museum's narrative. Over the next 16 years, she curated more than 40 exhibitions, many developed in collaboration with local community groups.

King's innovative approach earned the People's Palace prestigious accolades, including being named European Museum of the Year in 1981 and British Museum of the Year in 1983. However, her outspoken defense of community-based culture often brought her into conflict with the Glasgow city council. In 1990, she left the museum, having been passed over for a promotion that would have allowed her to expand her vision across the city's social history collections.

After leaving the People's Palace, King went on to lead the Dunfermline Heritage Trust and the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, where she continued to champion the preservation of Scotland's cultural heritage and the recovery of its feminist history. Her persistence and dedication to uncovering overlooked stories left a lasting impact on the museum landscape in Scotland.