Forres Heritage Trust

Forres Heritage Trust

Historic feature could clock up tourist visits

PLANS are in place to turn a historic Moray landmark into a tourist attraction. If given the green light, visitors to the Tolbooth situated in the centre of Forres High Street will be able to access an external walkway around the old clock tower, giving them views over the town and surrounding area. The project which is in its first phase is being progressed by the Forres Heritage Trust which owns the building. George Alexander, chairman of the Trust which also looks after Nelson’s Tower, another building providing uninterrupted views of the region, explained: “It is a little-known fact …

Read more

Winter Talk: The story of Moray’s emigration

Delve into stories of human adventure, achievement and adversity as the Forres Heritage Trust welcomes Professor Marjory Harper to present the first of its Winter Talks series. Professor Harper will give a snapshot of Moray’s migration throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in her talk: Snapshots from Morayshire’s migration album: two centuries of adventure and exile” Two million Scots emigrated from their homeland in the 19th century, and a further two million in the 20th century. Morayshire has always been well represented in the Scottish diaspora, though as Professor Harper will explain, its story has perhaps been somewhat neglected. …

Read more

More visitors flock to Tolbooth and Tower

Forres Tolbooth

The Tolbooth and Nelson’s Tower have been visited by more people than ever before for 2019, the Forres Heritage Trust is pleased to report. Bookings for using the Tolbooth which has many rooms which can be hired for events have also increased. Whilst the main tourist season is now finished, the Trust is already thinking ahead to what it can do to improve next season. This year, Nelson’s Tower which sits on Cluny Hill above Grant Park saw over 3302 visitors, an increase from 3025 last year. It was only beaten in 2011, the year the Heritage Trust took …

Read more

Forres doors open to the public

Forres will be a hotbed of activity later this month when 15 premises open their doors to the public as part of a nationwide initiative. Half of the 30 locations taking part in the Moray Doors Open Day regional event are located within the Forres area and the buildings involved are encouraging visitors to create their own mini tour. The Moray Doors Open Day is part of Doors Open Day, Scotland’s largest free festival that celebrates heritage and the built environment.  It offers free access to over a thousand venues across the country throughout September every year. The aim …

Read more

Record numbers enjoy peek into past

RECORD numbers of people have taken time out to visit a historic photographic display held in the town. A showcase of days gone by was held in the Tolbooth which is looked after by the Forres Heritage Trust and curators of the exhibition Ross Dalziel and Ray Mills have been delighted to see an upsurge in people keen to get a glimpse into the past. For the first time, new state-of-the-art equipment played film from over the years and another attraction was the addition of a Forres Academy photo album from 1928. Ross who has volunteered with the Trust …

Read more

Court room refurb complete

RENOVATIONS made to one of the region’s most historic buildings have been revealed following over three years of work and thousands of pounds of investment. The court room in the Forres Tolbooth has undergone major refurbishment and the Forres Heritage Trust which is responsible for maintaining the building hopes the work makes the space more appealing for hire and hosting its own events. The works which have included a full re-paint, replacement of wooden panelling, a new carpet, the ceiling being thoroughly cleaned and insulated, and all doors sanded and varnished has brought the room back to life. New …

Read more

Harp ensemble return to Tolbooth

UPDATE: EVENT CANCELLED WITH APOLOGIES A GROUP of musicians who have played for royalty and world leaders will bring a Moray landmark to life when they play in a charity concert. World renowned Harpa, an ensemble of harpists from across the USA will return to the Forres Tolbooth to raise funds for the Forres Heritage Trust who are custodians of the building. Sell-out performance The group last played at the historic site in 2015 to a sell-out audience in an ensemble of 14, but on May 11, six of the performers will return to stage another concert. Spectators will …

Read more

Volunteers are now world class hosts

A GROUP of Forres volunteers have been given training to help them excel in customer service. Representatives from the Forres Heritage Trust and Forres Area Community Trust took part in a day-long WorldHost workshop. WorldHost is an internationally recognised programme setting the industry benchmark for businesses and their staff, ensuring that high quality customer service standards are integral to their operation. It has already been used to train over 10 per cent of Scotland’s tourism workforce and represents an investment of over £2million since it was launched in Scotland. The WorldHost training programmes, which originated from Canada, were first …

Read more

Winter Talks launch 2019 events

FOUR historical talks will get the new year off to a flying start for the Forres Heritage Trust. And the Forres Heritage Trust is hoping to introduce more events at the Tolbooth and Nelson’s Tower over the course of 2019 in a bid to ensure the attractions remain popular. The events calendar will kick off at the end of this month with its popular Winter Talks. Previously the Winter Talks topics have seen people being turned away at the door as the subject matter proved so popular. Winter Talks Murray Drummond (pictured) who sits on the Trust committee and …

Read more