Discover the luxury chess sets bringing Scotland’s history to life

For the 605 million adults around the world who play chess regularly, this ancient strategic pastime is as much an art as it is a game. Enter Stirling1314, makers of stunning luxury chess sets reflecting Scottish history, who are taking this to an entirely new level.

Stirling1314 was founded in the late 1990s by John and Morag Morgan, who then owned Cornerstone Gallery in Dunblane. A chance meeting with fantasy chess set designer, Steve Trickett, whom John describes as a “sparking, long-haired artisan”, inspired the husband-and-wife team to work with him to create two stunning, limited-edition pewter chess sets, inspired by two key figures from Scotland’s rich and storied history – Robert the Bruce and Robert Burns.

Unique from almost every other chess set in the world, all 32 pieces depict different characters or places in the story of each set. Every chess piece is meticulously crafted and cast in solid pewter. The metal-edged chessboards are inlaid with pewter playing squares, etched with symbols representing each set’s story – the Battle of Bannockburn set portraying the emblems of Scotland’s thistle and England’s rose, while each light pewter square of the Robert Burns chessboard carries a different quotation from the poet’s best loved works, in his own handwriting.

“Only in those rarest of moments will you find a chess set with all 32 pieces different,” says John. “And you may never see a chess set with pieces and boards as exquisitely designed and crafted, something not just for the moment, but for generations to come.”THE SCOTCH GAME

One of the most famed battles in medieval history, the Battle of Bannockburn, was fought in 1314 between the victorious Robert the Bruce, King of Scots, and the army of King Edward II of England. John was originally inspired by this historic battle for Scottish independence after reading The Bruce trilogy by historical novelist Nigel Tranter. “I read the books cover to cover without stopping,” says John.

After that meeting with artist Steve, he reached out to Nigel himself to run past him the idea of a 32-different piece luxury chess set based on the fared battle. “I was humbled by the reality that this writing legend thought the idea was nothing short of genius,” says John – and so work began.

In 1996, two years after the event, the very first Battle of Bannockburn chess set emerged, led by the opposing kings, Robert the Bruce and Edward Il, followed by a catalogue of warriors and strategists who played their part in the lead-up to the battle itself. This first ever set was bought by Walt Disneyworld for the Epcot Centre in Florida.It was later sold to Herb Wreschner of Westport, Connecticut, who taught his son, Harrison, and then his grandson, Corbin, to play chess on that very set.

“One of the great things about chess is how it spans the generations,” says John. “It’s something the world is witnessing, yet again, with a new and growing level of enthusiasm for the game.” 

Far from the fields of battle, John’s love for the life and works of wordsmith and romantic Robert Burns (1759-1796) began in his early twenties and has been a significant part of his life since then, having now chaired his own Burns Club for 37 years. It was perhaps then inevitable that the second Stirling 1314 limited-edition chess set should honour Scotland’s beloved national poet, ‘Rabbie’ Burns.

It is no surprise that this unique set represents 32 different friends, fantasies, and places from Burns’s life and works, in a quite different battle of good against evil – the two kings represented by Rabbie on one side and ‘Auld Nick’ (the Devil) on the other.NEW GENERATIONS

Modern-day chess has responded to the invitation of digital to reach out to new generations but, as John notes, there is a growing number of those who still view luxury chess sets as works of art.

“There is no doubting the timeless attraction of chess, but there is another market which is growing exponentially, where chess sets, particularly on a grander scale, are making their way into homes where playing the game is not the priority. Instead, an impressive set on display in any home makes a statement all its own.

“One of the great pleasures in our professional lives is watching our clients’ reactions when they see the chess sets physically for the first time,” says John. “No amount of photography or description prepares you for the impact. These are large, heavy, imposing sets and that first view is truly mesmerising.“Loving how owners have our sets on permanent display – whether it’s traditional or contemporary, crowning an epic lounge or tucked into the corner of a study – that’s what this is all about,” he says. “We had a similar epiphany recently when we watched, for the first time, true chess experts finding an extra dimension when they played our sets. Suddenly, there was no longer anything quite as simple as losing a knight, a bishop or even a pawn, when the individuality of each piece gives it a character and responsibility of its own.”

As for the future of Stirling1314’s epic creations, John is in the planning stages of their next set.

“Later this year we will start work on a third, equally impressive chess set, modelled on another timeless theme – one whose story has also survived hundreds of years and will, almost certainly, still be talked about hundreds of years from now.”

Find out more by visiting stirling1314.com

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