News

A £50,000 investment to create a new tourist attraction at a Moray landmark is well under way with the building undergoing significant works.

Scaffolding has been erected around the Forres Tolbooth in what marks Phase 2 of a project to open up the walkway around the clocktower to establish a new visitor attraction for the region.

The project is being funded by the Forres Heritage Trust who own the Tolbooth with other monies being secured from the Berry Burn Community Fund which allocated £20,000 and the Town centre Regeneration Fund which gave £9375.               

The latest works involve fixing the leadworks and stonework pointing of the wall around the clocktower.

George Alexander, chairman of the Trust which also looks after Nelson’s Tower said these works are the most significant to take place in 25 years.

“The Trust is working tirelessly to ensure the future of the Tolbooth and we have done extensive work internally to restore the court room and the old police office and cells amongst other works.

“However, this is the first time since the mid-1990s that any significant work has been carried out to the external part of the building. The walkway around the four faces of the clock is lined with lead supported by a wooden structure. Water has seeped in and the wood has rotted over time which means the lead is sinking. This will need to be replaced. We also need to clean out the joints between the stone blocks on the turret itself and put new mortar in place.”

Mr Alexander added: “When the scaffolding was erected we discovered there was more work required than we had first thought, further up the tower and the Trust has taken the decision to just plough on with that work. We want to ensure that this building which has such huge historical significance for the town and indeed the region is looked after and therefore is here for many more years to come.”

AJ Engineering has already fabricated and installed a new internal steel stairway which will give access to the walkway and Mr Alexander hopes that the whole project will be complete for the main tourist season in 2021.

“The end result of all of this work and investment is that we create a landmark that drives footfall to the town and Moray. We already have a fabulous offering in Forres what with Grant Park, Cluny Hill and Nelson’s Tower, a beautiful High Street and other attractions right on our doorstep. This latest project is only going to add to that.”

Hidden in the depths of Forres Tolbooth are the town’s old police office and cells.
In this tour as part of Doors Open Day, Trustee Sandra MacIver will turn you into a virtual criminal as you are taken from the historic police office to the cells!
This tour has not yet opened to the public so this is your chance to get a first look at this exciting piece of Forres’ history. Ideal for kids!

Standing high on Cluny Hill, Nelson’s Tower looks down, with some presence, over Forres.

And because the building is closed right now, the Forres Heritage Trust which looks after the monument wanted to ensure that you can still get a chance to take in the stunning view from the top of the tower in the virtual tour.

Learn about how and why Nelson’s Tower was erected as a memorial to Admiral Lord Nelson. Get a look into each of the Tower’s rooms before emerging from the staircase to that breath-taking landscape.

Delve into its history in a virtual tour as part of Doors Open Day, led by Trustee David MacFarquhar.

The Forres Heritage Trust is going virtual to ensure it still has a role in Doors Open Day which will take place online this weekend.

Doors Open Days is a Scotland-wide event run throughout September and usually buildings open their doors to the public.

However, this year, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event is going online and the Trust was delighted to work with local film company Flying Mirrors to create three tours.

The short films will feature Trustees doing tours of Nelson’s Tower, the Tolbooth and its ongoing clock tower project, and the Tolbooth police office and cells project which has yet to be opened to the public.

The films will be promoted on the Trust website and scheduled to run as via the Facebook page during Sep 19.

Trust chairman George Alexander said: “We are delighted that we are able to still take part in Doors Open Day as it has always been a very popular event for the Trust.

“In 2019, we reported the best ever footfall to the monuments in eight years and whilst we are sad that things have been very different this year, and we have been unable to welcome locals and tourists alike into the buildings, doing a virtual doors open day still enables us to shine a spotlight not only on the wonderful history and stories these buildings hold, but also the great amount of work that goes into the upkeep of the buildings by our Trustees.”

He added: “We are also hoping that the films may be of interest from Forres folk who have maybe moved away, so there are some advantages of being able to do something online.

“Taking part in the films was something new for us, but we have seen making the short tour films as an investment as we will be able to use them to market the buildings at other times as well.

“We were delighted that our Trustees agreed to get involved and thank the three ‘tour guides’ who were happy to appear in front of the camera.”

The Tours

Nelson’s Tower

Standing high on Cluny Hill, Nelson’s Tower looks down, with some presence, over Forres. And just because the building  is closed right now, the Forres Heritage Trust which looks after the monument wanted to ensure that you can still get a chance to take in the stunning view from the top of the tower in the virtual tour.

Learn about how and why Nelson’s Tower was erected as a memorial to Admiral Lord Nelson. Get a look into each of the Tower’s rooms before emerging from the staircase to that breath-taking landscape.

Delve into its history in a virtual tour led by Trustee David MacFarquhar.

The tour will be shown on the Forres Heritage Trust Facebook page and here on the website at 10am.

Forres Tolbooth – Two virtual tours

Built in 1838/39 on the site of the existing Tolbooth which has been in existence for over 800 years.

Looked after by the Forres Heritage Trust, the main features at the Tolbooth include historic paintings, a recently renovated court room, a police office and cells and the latest project which is underway is the renovation of the historic clock tower which will become a tourist attraction where visitors will be able to access the walkway around the clock face giving way to stunning views across the town of Forres.

Join two virtual tours of the Tolbooth on Doors Open Day.

Become a virtual criminal: Get a glimpse into the police office and cells tour led by Trustee Sandra MacIver. This tour has not yet opened to the public so this is your chance to get a first look at this exciting piece of Forres’ history. Ideal for kids!

4pm via the Forres Heritage Trust Facebook page and website

Tour the Tolbooth: Led by Trust chairman George Alexander, you can sit back and relax whilst George takes you off the High Street to show you around the wonders of this historic building which stands proud in the centre of Forres.

18.30 via the Forres Heritage Facebook page and website

A fresh lick of paint is being applied to the famous cannons which stand proud either side of the entrance to Nelson’s Tower.

The decision to repaint the cannons was taken some time ago, but due to Covid-19, the project was put on hold.

However, volunteer Jim Grant has now got the painting off the ground with the cannons being repainted black and an undercoat has been applied to the trolleys.

The plan to make the trolleys similar to the cannon on HMS Victory – a yellowish gold colour, however supply of this specialist paint is difficult, again due to the effects of Covid-19.

A WORKMAN who installed a new stairway in the Forres Tolbooth has signed his name as a legacy, just like his counterparts who did the same thing hundreds of years ago.

New steel stairs have been installed as part of a project to open up access to the clock tower which will become a new attraction for locals and tourists alike.

When the work began on the project, volunteers who removed the old wooden staircase discovered signatures from tradesmen who had worked in the building over the years.

And those involved in the project thought it was only right that Chargehand Fabricator, Cliff Robertson from local firm AJ Engineering who designed, fabricated and then installed the stairway, did the same.

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George Alexander, Chairman of the Forres Heritage Trust which looks after the Tolbooth said: “There is an extensive amount of history in the Tolbooth and it seems that every time we start a new project or develop something new, we unearth even more intriguing finds. Inside the clock tower there are dozens of signatures, clearly from people who have worked in that area of the building and it was a fitting tribute for Cliff to do the same. Maybe in another 100 years’ time, his signature will be discovered too.”

Graham Alexander, general manager of AJ Engineering said: “This has been a fascinating project for the team to work on and we are delighted that we have been able to be part of the Tolbooth’s legacy and add our mark for many more years to come.

“AJ Engineering works on a huge variety of projects and it is great to be working on something so local, but also so historically significant for the town.”

The Forres Heritage Trust received £9375 from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund towards this part of the project.

It was also recently granted £20,000 from the Berry Burn Community Fund which will be used to progress the next phase of the project which will involve repairs around the walkway and extensive pointing of the stonework around the clock tower. This work is expected to begin in the Autumn.