News

The Forres Heritage Trust is launching an exciting new tourist attraction and is looking for volunteers to help get the project off the ground.

A new tour at the Tolbooth will show visitors around the old police office and cells, the newly renovated courtroom and provide them with a trip up to the parapet around the clock tower which has never been open to the public.

However, to make the project work, the Forres Heritage Trust which owns the Tolbooth, needs more helpers to act as a tour guides.

Volunteers crucial to success

George Alexander, chairman of the Trust said: “This is a very exciting development however its success is dependent on the help of volunteers. It won’t get off the ground without that support.

“We have had a whole team of people working on this for the best part of two years. We have had one group of Trustees pulling together the police office and cells part of the project, the courtroom has been given a tremendous make over by a team of volunteers, and myself and a couple of other Trustees have worked on the clock tower part of the development. Pulling each of these aspects of the historic Tolbooth altogether into one tour, will provide a really great visitor attraction for Forres.”

Mr Alexander added: “The Trustees had a walkthrough of the tour last week and we expect it will take up to an hour. We are still to work out when and how often the tour will open as this will depend on the support we get.”

The Forres Heritage Trust also looks after Nelson’s Tower and for many years has run successful tours of the monument between April and September.

Peter Haworth, a Trustee and volunteer co-ordinator said: “We have a list of volunteers who have helped make visits to Nelson’s Tower a huge success, however, over the last two years, and partly due to the pandemic, numbers have dwindled. To make sure that we can maintain what we offer at Nelson’s Tower and then successfully launch the new Tolbooth project, we are definitely going to need more volunteers.”

Satisfaction

Mr Haworth added: “Our volunteers get a great deal of satisfaction from meeting visitors, many of whom, pre-Covid, come from all over the world. Not once have I seen a volunteer walk away from a shift without a smile on their face. Using volunteers has always worked successfully at Nelson’s Tower.

“We provide all of the volunteers with packs explaining what is required and they will be given full training in an informal setting and briefed on the Tolbooth and its history. Nobody will be left feeling they don’t know what to do, say or what is expected of them. We are also more than happy to show people around before they commit to anything, so they can see how great the project is. All people have to do is get in touch.”

To find out more about the project and how you can get involved please email Peter at fhtvolunteers@outlook.com or call him 07966 410177.

The clock on one of the town’s most historic buildings is chiming again after its mechanism was replaced.

The restoration to the clock on the Tolbooth is the final stage of a project which will see the parapet around the clocktower being opened to the public as a tourist attraction.

The mechanism was replaced by clockmakers Smiths of Derby and George Alexander, chairman of the Forres Heritage Trust which owns the building said it was great to hear the clock chiming again.

He said: “This is the final stage in a huge project to get the clocktower open to the public sometime next spring. The clock is 183 years old and the chiming mechanism, which dates from the mid twentieth century had been struggling valiantly for several years but it was time that it was replaced. The old mechanism couldn’t be repaired and clearly, a clock of this age requires a special skillset and the technician from Smiths of Derby has done a tremendous job.

“The tolbooth is a central landmark in the town and having a chiming clock is part of its history and nostalgia although I am not sure shoppers expected to hear it chime 19 times in a row, which is what happened when it was being tested last week!”

Before the clock was fixed, safety barriers had been installed around the walkway on the clocktower.

The whole development has also included tearing out an old wooden staircase which gives access to the parapet and installing a new one and making safe the stonework and walkway around the clocktower.

George added: “The clocktower project is now complete. Now the Trust will be working over the winter to come up with a plan about how we can now open the parapet to the public. This has never been done before and we know there are many people who really want to experience it.

The Trust received three grants to help progress the project. £11,301.60 was secured from The Beatrice Partnership Fund, £20,000 from the Berry Burn Community Fund and £9375 from the Moray Council via the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

The Forres Heritage Trust needs your help.

As part of its redevelopment of the old police office and cells in the Tolbooth, the Trustees have been undertaking some very serious research involving the 19 Crimes wines.

The 19 Crimes wine was inspired by those who, beginning in 1787, were transported to Australia for a life of hard labour and the Trust has found some stories of that very thing happening to some local folk and want to make a feature from the corks.

Transportation was an alternative to hanging during the Victorian era. Convicted criminals were transported to the colonies to serve their prison sentences. It had the advantage of removing the criminal from society and being quite cheap – the state only had to pay for the cost of the journey.

Local tale

One such local chap who was transported was Robert Innes as The Forres Journal reported on 7 May 1851.

“Theft by House Breaking. Robert Innes was charged with breaking into the house of Earlsmill, Dyke, Moray on the night of the 9^th or morning of the 10^th December last by forcing the window and with stealing four pounds in sliver, a sovereign, a half sovereign and a foreign gold coin from a lockfast desk opened by means of a chisel.

Pled guilty – the panel, a middle aged resolute looking man. He could sign his name. Sentenced to seven years of transportation.”

Ainsley James, a Trustee who is working on the project explained: “It has been fascinating working on the police office and cells project and myself and the team have found so many exciting and interesting stories from the past and the link to transportation was just one of them. We plan to do a display with the 19 Crimes corks. There is one cork for each of the 19 crimes a person could commit to be sentenced to ‘Punishment by Transportation,’ but we have been unable to find that elusive cork number 19 and hope that someone locally may have one or if they find one, be willing to give it to the Trust.”

Can you help? We urge you to drink responsibly but if you do happen to enjoy a tipple of the 19 Crimes wine, please feel free to pop ANY of the corks, but in particular the elusive number 19, through the door of the Tolbooth.

The Forres Rotary Club is celebrating World Polio Day this month and has sought the help of another town-based organisation to do so.

The Tolbooth, located on Forres High Street will be lit up in purple, after the Forres Heritage Trust which owns the building agreed to help.

The colour purple signifies the colour dye used on the little finger of a child who has received their life saving polio drops on mass polio immunisation days in many countries, to show they have received their life saving vaccine.

Rotary Clubs across the world have been campaigning since 1985 when there were 125 polio endemic countries. The campaign aims to completely eradicate the disease which is now only endemic in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.

Doreen McCaig, International/Foundation Convener with the Forres Rotary Club said she was delighted that the two organisations were working together.

She said: “We are very pleased that the Forres Heritage Trust has agreed to help us promote and help make people aware of this significant campaign. All over the world, buildings will be getting lit up in purple and it is tremendous that we will also be doing our bit in Forres.

“The Tolbooth is the perfect building as it is so central, so we are hoping that lots of people will see. Over the weekend that the building will be getting lit up, we will have Rotary members on the High Street to explain what is happening and make people aware. We are really looking forward to it.”

The Tolbooth will lit up on October 23 and 24. The Rotary Club will also be at Tesco Forres on Saturday 23 to collect money for the cause too.

Doreen added: “We have had huge support from across the town and whilst we appreciate there are many local charities, it is encouraging to see that the people of Forres are always willing to help further afield as well. The Rotary Clubs across the world have worked tirelessly to eradicate polio and since the campaign began it’s now 99 per cent eradicated.”

Bob James, a trustee with the Forres Heritage Trust and a member of the Rotary Club said: “The Trust was delighted to be asked to help the Rotary raise awareness of this important campaign. It’s a great example of two organisations working together and helping each other, something which the people of Forres are very good at.

“The request has also come at a perfect time as renovations on the Tolbooth, and in particular around the clocktower which is the area which will be lit up, have just been completed, so the Tolbooth will be looking splendid for the occasion.”

A trail which takes users on a mystery history tour has been launched for an area of Forres.

The Forres Heritage Trust, working in association with Moray Treasure Trails has created the walk which incorporates key local sites and sees participants scanning QR codes which provide them with information about some of the stops.

The trail starts and ends in the same location and generally focusses on Grant Park and Cluny Hill.

The Trust began doing trails last Autumn when it launched a Halloween walk. This was followed by a Christmas themed trail and one for Spring

The new Mystery History Walk focusses on some key locations which have historical significance and participants can get more information at some of the points by scanning the QR codes.

Julie Millar who operates Moray Treasure Trails has volunteered her time to create the trail, whilst Claire Doughty who supports the Trust with publicity has pulled together the information for the QR codes.

Julie said: “I was delighted when Claire got in contact to ask for help in creating the trail. She had all the information and knew some keys sites that she thought would be of interest. I was able to bring it altogether in a user-friendly treasure trail which we hope will appeal to people of all ages.”

Claire who started planning the walk with her son Adam said she was delighted the trail was now ready to be used: “We are so delighted the trail is finally finished but it would not have been possible without the support of Julie. Originally, we had planned a bigger route using QR codes and a locations app, but despite trialling the route dozens of times, it just didn’t work how we wanted it to.

“However, I was put in touch with Julie who creates these walks all over Moray and hosts them for birthdays parties and other events and she stepped in to help. She helped us simplify it and I think we have a quirky wee route which shows off the best of Grant Park, Cluny Hill and Nelson’s Tower, will get people out and about and if they choose to scan the QR codes, will get them learning a wee bit of local history too.”

She added: “Now that we have one route sorted, we may branch out and do some at different locations throughout the town.”

George Alexander, chairman of the Trust said: “We are very grateful to both Julie and Claire and not forgetting Claire’s son Adam who all worked on this walk in their own time. Cluny Hill holds many mysteries, some now known and others yet to be discovered, this mystery walk will surely enlighten you as well as benefit your fitness and wellbeing.  It’s another small addition to the great offering that we have at the Forres Heritage Trust and it may even inspire you to join as a member or maybe even get involved as a volunteer.”

To have a go at the Mystery History Walk you can download the trail here.

SAFETY barriers which are one of the last stages of a project to turn one of Forres’ most historic buildings into a tourist attraction have been installed.

The walkway around the clocktower in the Tolbooth situated in the centre of the High Street is now set to be opened to the public for the first time.

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The barriers which were fabricated and installed by local company AJ Engineering were put in place last week.

The Tolbooth is owned by the Forres Heritage Trust and chairman George Alexander said he is delighted the clocktower project is almost complete.

He said: “We have managed to push this initiative on relatively quickly, but it has been a lot of hard work from the Trust and its trustees. Doing work to any building can be a minefield but when you add in the historical significance of the Tolbooth, it can complicate things. Thankfully, we have been able to progress this without too many hiccoughs and I am glad that it is nearing completion.

“The clock tower has never before been accessible to the public and we know there are many local citizens who are desperate to have the experience. I am very impressed by the fact the barriers are barely visible until you are quite close to the building.”

The whole development has included tearing out an old wooden staircase which gives access to the parapet and installing a new one, pointing and stonework and making safe the stonework and walkway around the clocktower and installing the safety barriers.

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Now the Trust is seeking to upgrade the chiming mechanism of the clock.

The Trust received three grants to help progress the project. £11,301.60 was secured from The Beatrice Partnership Fund, £20,000 from the Berry Burn Community Fund and £9375 from the Moray Council via the Town Centre Regeneration Fund.

“We are very grateful for all the of the funding that we have received. The project would not have been possible without those injections of cash,” explained George, “now we look forward to opening the clocktower to the public which will happen next spring in time for the tourist season.”