What was Elspeth King's role at the People's Palace museum?

Elspeth King was the curator of the People's Palace museum in Glasgow from 1974 to 1990, where she transformed the institution into a living record of the city's social history.

How did Elspeth King's work at the People's Palace impact the museum?

Under King's direction, the People's Palace won European Museum of the Year in 1981 and British Museum of the Year in 1983, recognizing her innovative approach to celebrating the lives of Glasgow's working-class citizens.

What other museums did Elspeth King lead after leaving the People's Palace?

After leaving the People's Palace in 1990, Elspeth King became the director of the Dunfermline Heritage Trust and the Stirling Smith Art Gallery and Museum, where she continued to champion the preservation of Scotland's cultural heritage.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Pioneering Curator Transformed Glasgow's People's Palace into a Living Museum of Social History

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

16 Nov

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Summary

Elspeth King reshaped the People's Palace museum in Glasgow into a record of the city's social history
She curated over 40 exhibitions highlighting the lives of local workers, musicians, and tradespeople
King's work earned the People's Palace European and British Museum of the Year awards in the 1980s

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.