News

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.”

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.”