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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.”

A young boy who was the first person to visit a north-east monument when it re-opened for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic hit was invited back to help close it for the season.

The Tower is usually open from the start of April, but only re-opened for the first time at the start of August following the outbreak of Covid 19.

Volunteers were delighted when they arrived at the Tower to find Teddy queuing in the rain to ensure he was the first visitor and they thought it was only fitting he was there to close it too.

Trustees from the Forres Heritage Trust which looks after the tower invited nine-year-old Teddy Gadalla to lower the flag which symbolises it is now closed.

Peter Haworth, the volunteer co-ordinator for the Forres Heritage Trust which also looks after the Tolbooth on Forres High Street said: “We were so impressed with Teddy and to learn that he had been waiting in the rain for over an hour to make sure he was the first visitor to Nelson’s Tower, that we wanted to allow him to be the last person of the season too.

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“It’s fantastic that a young boy has such an interest in his town and history and that before the pandemic he was a regular visitor to the Tower.”

As well as allowing Teddy to lower the red ensign which flies to indicate the Tower is open, Teddy was also gifted a t-shirt and will be given a print of the Tower.

Teddy said: “I was really happy and excited that I was asked to close the Tower. I have been up to the Tower lots of times over the summer. We go to Grant Park a lot and I usually run up to the tower, up to the top and back down again.”

He added: “It was quite easy to take the flag down and I think I might like to be a volunteer with the Trust in the future.”

Teddy’s mum Rayne said: “We feel really honoured that the Trust remembered Teddy and that they asked him back. We have all been really excited in the lead up to it. He’s got an interest in history and it’s great to have the availability of Nelson’s Tower which we can freely visit. The volunteers have always been so kind and friendly to Teddy.”

Speaking generally about the season, Peter said despite opening almost four months later than usual, it had been busy: “Over the two months we have been open we have had 824 visitors which is on a par with previous years. This last weekend was very busy which was a really nice way to round off what has been a difficult couple of years.”

A PROJECT to develop the clock tower in one of the town’s most historic buildings into a new tourist attraction is gathering pace.

Listed building consent, planning permission and a building warrant to install safety barriers on a walkway around the clocktower at the Tolbooth have been secured and the Forres Heritage Trust who own the building has also received some further funding.

It is hoped the works will be complete by September with a view to opening the attraction to the public shortly after.

The latest successful funding of £11,301.60 was secured from The Beatrice Partnership Fund and will be used to restore the Tolbooth clock and install the safety barriers.

Already, new access stairs which lead up to the walkway have been put in place and as George Alexander, chairman of the Trust, explained as the project is nearing completion: “We are delighted that we are now in the last phase of this project to open the walkway around the clocktower which will give visitors a unique insight into the building but also wonderful views over our historic town.

“We are extremely grateful to have received this latest funding from The Beatrice Partnership Fund and delighted that Moray Council has now issued the building warrant which will allow us to get the safety barriers installed. Once this is done, we will be in a position to open.”

Previously, the Forres Heritage Trust which also looks after Nelson’s Tower, received £20,000 in funding from the Berry Burn Community Fund towards the project. That money has been used to make repairs around the walkway and to carry out extensive pointing of the stonework around the clock tower.

George added: “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.”

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.”

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.’

A nine-year-old boy stood for over an hour in the rain to make sure he was the first person to visit a north east monument after it re-opened for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic hit.

Nelson’s Tower in Forres opened on Saturday. It had not been open since it closed for the season in September 2019.

And Teddy Gadalla who was a regular visitor to the Tower before the pandemic made sure he was first in the queue.

He said: “I was very excited when I found out it was opening. I used to visit it every other week and I have missed it. I still came up to Cluny Hill whilst the Tower was shut, but I was excited to be able to go up the Tower again.”

Teddy who attends Drumduan School visited the Tower with his grandma Nahed Gadalla and she added: “I got a call from his mum saying he was excited about it re-opening so he dragged me up the hill. He wanted to make sure he was first so we came up early.”

Teddy and his grandma climbed the Tower with Forres Heritage volunteer Michael Ellison who also allowed him to help raise the red ensign which signified that the Tower is open.

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Despite standing in the rain to secure his spot, the sun shone once Teddy reached the top of the tower.

Michael said: “I have been volunteering with the Trust for four years. It’s great to be able to help people see the view and share the Tower’s history. It was also great to arrive on re-opening day to a steady queue of people. It was quite emotional raising the flag for the first time in almost two years. It’s great to be back.”

Also visiting the tower was Laurie Piper, Chief Executive of Moray Speyside Tourism.

He said: “I am delighted that Nelson’s Tower is open again. It was great to see a queue of people waiting for the doors to open and the Heritage Trust volunteers so happy to welcome visitors back. Visit Moray Speyside were pleased to support the Trust and its volunteers to re-open one of the most prominent visitor attractions in Forres.”

The Forres Heritage Trust is using the Moray Speyside Check & Protect app to securely check in visitors with one simple sign-on.

The tourism organisation also supported the Trust with advice on how to re-open safely.

He said: “I am delighted to see Nelson’s Tower re-open and to see the volunteers back welcoming the visitors. It was great to see people excited for the monument to be open again. Moray Speyside was more than happy to support the Trust and its volunteers to re-open one of the most prominent visitor attractions in Forres.”

The Forres Heritage Trust is using the Moray Speyside Check & Protect app to securely check in visitors with one simple sign-on.

The tourism organisation also supported the Trust with advice on how to open safely.

The Tower which stands on Cluny Hill in Grant Park will open Friday to Monday 2pm-4pm until the end of September.  

To find out more about Nelson’s Tower and volunteering with the Trust please visit: www.forresheritage.co.uk

Nelson’s Tower is set to re-open later this month for the first time since the Coronavirus pandemic hit.

The Tower has not been open since it closed for the season in September 2019.

But now, the Forres Heritage Trust which looks after the Tower has said it is looking forward to welcoming back visitors.

The Tower which stands on Cluny Hill in Grant Park usually opens every day from the start of April until the end of September, but now will open Friday to Monday 2pm-4pm from July 31.

The Trust is also hoping that more volunteers will come forward to help welcome visitors.

Peter Haworth who co-ordinates the volunteers said he was delighted the Tower was opening for part of the season: “We are very excited to be opening up again and whilst we may not have the wealth of overseas tourists that the tower usually attracts, we are looking forward to welcoming those holidaying at home and locals who have missed being able to enjoy the views from the top.”

He added: “A number of our volunteers have decided they can no longer commit to doing stints at the Tower so we are also appealing for more people to support us so we can spread the bulk of the work. We only ask our volunteers to do one two-hour session a month, so it’s not too time consuming, although if people want to do more that is fantastic. All our volunteers are given training and an information pack on the history of the Tower. It’s really fulfilling, and you get to meet so many different people.”

George Alexander, chairman of the Trust said: “Whilst we could have opened sooner than we are, we take the safety of our volunteers and visitors very seriously and it’s only now that we feel that we can open the Tower.

“Some fellow Trustees, ably assisted by other volunteers, have worked extremely hard to find a way to get the Tower open. We have had support from Moray Speyside Tourism who have visited the Tower with us to make sure that we are putting all that we can in place to make the Tower a safe place to visit.

“We will have a track and trace, people will be required to wear masks and the Trust will be providing disposable gloves. The gloves are required as there is a rope ‘banister’ which goes up the staircase to the top of the Tower and it is not possible to wipe this down in a way that we would be happy with.”

In 2019, over 3302 people visited the Tower which was Erected by public subscription, as a memorial to Admiral Lord Nelson.

A historic photo exhibition which is usually held in the Tolbooth will this year be done online.

The Forres Heritage Trust usually hosts two four-day events in May and September showcasing a wealth of historic photos curated by volunteers Ray Mills and Ross Dalziel.

However, in 2020 the exhibitions had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Now, with the May event also not being able to go ahead in the historic building, the Trust has decided to put a small collection online.

Ray Mills who has been supporting the Trust with the exhibitions since 2011 explained: “Last year, both exhibitions had to be cancelled and unfortunately, at least for next month’s event we are still in the same position, so with the support of Claire Doughty who helps the Trust with publicity we have decided to put four collections online.

“It’s certainly different to how we have done things in the past, but myself and Ross are pleased that we are able to showcase some of the pictures that the Trust now has in its possession.”

The albums which will be shown include the Forres Cycling Club, the Royal Visit in August 1961, a collection from the Rev Alan Smith and Forres Academy.

Ray added: “There are around 20 pictures in each album and these are just a small sample of what is contained within the Trust’s hard copy archives and usually displayed at their exhibitions.”

The pictures will be available on the Forres Heritage Trust website from May 5, and the albums will remain on the website and be added to over time.

George Alexander, chairman of the Forres Heritage Trust which owns the Tolbooth and also looks after Nelson’s Tower said: “We are delighted that we are still able to share a small selection of the Trust’s pictures and I thank Ray and Ross for their hard work in pulling this together. Of course we will miss the interaction with the visitors who get so much joy of being able to visit the Tolbooth and talk with the volunteers about the images, but for now, hopefully this exhibition will still please many.”

George added: “We do hope that come September we may be able to invite people back into the Tolbooth for the second exhibition of the year, but at the moment we are just waiting to see how things progress.”

To view the exhibition from May 5 visit: www.forresheritage.co.uk/photo-exhibition