News

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.

RENOVATIONS to one of the region’s most historic buildings are finally finished after intricate paintwork on four pilasters was completed.

After four years of hard work, mainly from volunteers and thousands of pounds worth of investment the court room in the Forres Tolbooth now has a new lease of life.

The finishing touches were completed by interiors decorator Jeremy Taylor who restored the four pilasters which stand proudly over the court room with a marbling affect.

The work to restore the paintwork took a painstaking 44 hours, 11 hours for each of the pilasters.

The court room 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.

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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

New floor to ceiling curtains have also been handmade and a state of the art multi-media system installed.

A PROJECT to develop the clock tower in one of the town’s most historic buildings is ticking along thanks to an injection of cash.

The Forres Heritage Trust has received £20,000 in funding from the Berry Burn Community Fund which will be used to help an initiative at the town’s Tolbooth move forward.

Forres Heritage Trust which looks after the Tolbooth and also Nelson’s Tower plans to upgrade the walkway around the clock tower turning it into a tourist attraction.

George Alexander, chairman of the Trust said: “Our plans are very ambitious and this funding is now going to enable us to proceed with the development.

“The money will be used to make repairs around the walkway and also to carry out extensive pointing of the stonework around the clock tower. This funding will allow us to progress to stage two of the plans which is about making the walkway safe.

“Clearly the Tolbooth is a historic building so we have to ensure that any works we carry out are done so in keeping with the building.”

New stairs imminent

A new stairway which gives access to the walkway is due to be installed in the next few weeks.

Forres-based AJ Engineering has designed the stairway and fabrication is complete.

Graham Alexander, general manager of AJE said: “The stairs have been fabricated and they are away being coated. We had hoped to have the stairs installed already, but due to government restrictions regarding essential work, we have had to hold fire.  

He added: “The Tolbooth is one of the town’s oldest buildings and these new stairs will certainly be robust enough to last for hundreds of years to come. The development at the Tolbooth is going to be a fantastic addition and will be another reason for people to visit our great town.”

Volunteer help

The old wooden stairs which were removed by volunteers revealed signatures which it is believed are of workmen who worked on the tower since the early 20^th century.

George Alexander, explained: “We were able to remove the stairs quite easily and in doing so we revealed the signatures. There is always some little gem that you come across when carrying out renovations in a building with such historical significance. I dare say that when AJ Engineering come to install the new staircase, we will ask the workers to continue this tradition and put their signatures somewhere too.”

Speaking of the hopes for the project, George added: “Not many people know about the walkway and our aim is to make it safely accessible for locals and tourists. We are delighted that it is progressing at such a pace. Once the pointing is completed, we will then need to look at getting a safety rail of some sort designed and installed around the parapet.”

The project has already received £9375 from the Town Centre Regeneration Funding which was allocated for ‘alterations to the outside gallery around the clock tower.’