News

The spotlight is set to be shone on three historic Forres monuments after a planning application was submitted to The Moray Council to illuminate the buildings.

Permission is being sought to light up Nelson’s Tower, The Tolbooth and the Mercat Cross.

The application has been submitted by the Forres Heritage Trust who own the Tolbooth and look after Nelson’s Tower on behalf of the Council.

Leading on the project on behalf of the Forres Heritage Trust are trustees Bob James and Bill Budge.

Bob James explained: “We are very excited to be exploring this project which will see these three beautiful buildings being highlighted. These buildings are part of Forres’ rich history and lighting them up will make them a beacon and encourage interest and tourism for the buildings themselves but also create a feature for the people of Forres to enjoy.”

Experts

The Trust has appointed RYBKA, an international firm who specialise in lighting design and have an established history of delivering heritage building lighting schemes. They are also working with award-winning LDN Architects who have a recognised track history of being involved in projects which have strong heritage connections. Both companies are offering their services at substantially reduced rates recognising that Forres Heritage Trust is a registered charity.

Bob added: “With the support of RYBKA and LDN we have managed to come up with a sound proposal. Great emphasis has been placed on ensuring all equipment used is as energy efficient as possible and being of a standard to last the passage of time. There has also been great consideration taken for the environment. We have already had a meeting with Moray Council’s planning conservation officer at the sites to discuss this further.”

As well as submitting the planning application, the Trust is also now starting to look at how it will fund the project which is expected to cost £111k in total.

Worthwhile investment

Bill Budge said that the Trust believes the investment is worthwhile.

He said: “FHT consider that the historical importance of Nelson’s Tower, the Tolbooth and Mercat Cross, fully justifies its decision to embark on a course to illuminate each building. Over 50 years ago the Town Council of Forres were very keen to floodlight Nelson’s Tower, but sadly this project did not go ahead. The lighting will be controlled by sophisticated technology allowing buildings to be illuminated in appropriate colour schemes to reflect such events as Armistice Day, St Andrews Day, McMillan Cancer, Christmas Day, to name but a few.”

He added: “Nelson’s Tower currently attracts visitors from the local community and many more from near and far. It is a prominent building and tree pruning on Cluny Hill, which is planned to take place in the Spring of 2022, will make the tower even more visible when approaching Forres from Elgin. The Trust feels that illuminating Nelson’s Tower, the Tolbooth and the Mercat Cross throughout the year will develop them into a beacon, advertising their presence to all and will encourage increased visitor numbers.”

Bill also added the Heritage Trust already has an outstanding track record when it comes to preserving and promoting the buildings and the heritage of the town.

“If it wasn’t for the Heritage Trust, the Tolbooth and Nelson’s Tower would not be open,” said Bill, “the Tower itself attracts visitors from all over the world and at Nelson’s Tower, the Trust is soon to launch a new tourist attraction which will help entice visitors to our great town.”

The planning application was submitted in February and the Trust expects to find out if the project can go ahead later this month.  

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.”