News

Events lined up to put spotlight on historic buildings

AN organisation which looks after two of the town’s most historic buildings has a year of events lined up to ensure the attractions remain popular.

The Forres Heritage Trust is responsible for the town’s Tolbooth which sits in the centre of the High Street and Nelson’s Tower which stands on Cluny Hill.

Next week, the Forres Heritage Trust will host its second Winter Talk of the year, with the first having been a near sell-out event.

The Tolbooth courtroom will be the location for an event held in association with the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival for a second consecutive year and Nelson’s Tower will be the focus for a free family fun day.

There are also plans in place to commemorate 75 years since VE Day in May and the courtroom will be the venue for a wedding – the first to ever be held in the building.

Murray Drummond, who is one of the twelve trustees, co-ordinates the annual talks and helps plan the other events said: “Last year, we introduced some new events to the Heritage Trust’s schedule and they all proved very popular and successful, so we are giving them a go again. The Winter Talks are always well attended and often sell-out.”

He added: “We are also delighted to be part of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival again and to be including a new event for VE Day, although the plans for that are under wraps at the moment. Our ever-popular photographic exhibitions will be back too and we will once again be taking part in Moray Doors Open Day. There is rarely going to be a month when there is not something happening at the Tolbooth or the Tower.”

The next Winter Talk will take place on February 13 with a presentation from Forres-born Jane Yeadon who will reflect on her writing family. This will be followed by the final talk of the series by David Baxter from the National Maritime Museum in Portsmouth who will return to explore the aftermath and legacy of Trafalgar.

The family fun day at Nelson’s Tower will take place on April 18 and visitors will be able to scale the Tower, make crafts and enjoy a bouncy castle and face painting.

“Last year, our family fun day was hugely popular, and it was a great way to get young people up to the monument to enjoy all that it has to offer. We welcomed over 300 people who enjoyed taking part in a cannon ball hunt and the opportunity to make crowns, swords and shields.”

Over the last year, the Tolbooth has been undergoing renovations and is becoming a popular venue for events and in September will host its first wedding.

“We are thrilled we are getting recognised as a venue,” explained Murray, “and although clearly a private event, we are delighted to be hosting a wedding in the beautifully renovated courtroom. It just goes to show that all the hard work from our volunteers is paying off, and that there is scope to keep both the Tolbooth and Nelson’s Tower relevant in 2020.”

For further information contact Claire Doughty on 07846145050 or email claire@clairedoughtypublicity.uk

Signature legacy lives on

July 20, 2020

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 …

Pilaster paintwork completes court room project

July 17, 2020

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 …

Clock tower project ticks on

July 3, 2020

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 …

Stairs project to clocktower ticks along

June 4, 2020

New stairs which will give access to the walkway around the clocktower at the Tolbooth could be installed by the end of June. It is hoped that the development will become a visitor attraction with the opening of the walkway providing views across the town. AJ Engineering has designed the stairway and fabrication is underway. Graham Alexander, general manager of AJE said: “It’s all drawn up and the fabrication of the stairway is about to start. Depending on the government restrictions regarding essential work, we hope that we will be able to have the stairs installed by the end …

FHT event cancellations

March 21, 2020

Nelson’s Tower will not re-open as planned next month, but custodians of the building are still encouraging people to enjoy its environs whilst they can. The opening of Nelson’s Tower which was due to take place on April 3 will now be postponed until further notice following UK Government advice that all non-essential contact and travel should be prevented. The Tower is looked after by the Forres Heritage Trust and other events the Trust had planned have also had to be put on a backburner. George Alexander, chairman of the Trust which also owns the Tolbooth explained: “The decision …

Get fit and volunteer for FHT

February 25, 2020

Exercise and meeting people from around the globe are just two of the reasons to volunteer at one of the town’s most historical buildings, it has been said. The Forres Heritage Trust looks after the opening of Nelson’s Tower between April and September which last year welcomed over 3302 visitors from 54 different countries. And the Trust is now appealing for more people to come forward and get involved with an open evening, to find out more being held in March. Grace Reid, one of a team of 12 trustees who look after the Tower and the Forres Tolbooth …

Whisky event sells out in 24 hours

February 25, 2020

A CHARITY whisky tasting to be hosted by a Forres man who travels the globe representing one of the world’s most awarded single malt whisky has sold out in less than 24 hours. Struan Grant Ralph, global brand ambassador for Glenfiddich will present the event for the Forres Heritage Trust as part of the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival. And all proceeds from the event, which will take place on April 30, will be donated to the Trust which looks after the upkeep of the Tolbooth and ensures Nelson’s Tower opens each year as a visitor attraction. Struan, a …

Historic feature could clock up tourist visits

January 27, 2020

PLANS are in place to turn a historic Moray landmark into a tourist attraction. If given the green light, visitors to the Tolbooth situated in the centre of Forres High Street will be able to access an external walkway around the old clock tower, giving them views over the town and surrounding area. The project which is in its first phase is being progressed by the Forres Heritage Trust which owns the building. George Alexander, chairman of the Trust which also looks after Nelson’s Tower, another building providing uninterrupted views of the region, explained: “It is a little-known fact …

Winter Talk: The story of Moray’s emigration

January 6, 2020November 13, 2019

Delve into stories of human adventure, achievement and adversity as the Forres Heritage Trust welcomes Professor Marjory Harper to present the first of its Winter Talks series. Professor Harper will give a snapshot of Moray’s migration throughout the 19th and 20th centuries in her talk: Snapshots from Morayshire’s migration album: two centuries of adventure and exile” Two million Scots emigrated from their homeland in the 19th century, and a further two million in the 20th century. Morayshire has always been well represented in the Scottish diaspora, though as Professor Harper will explain, its story has perhaps been somewhat neglected. …

More visitors flock to Tolbooth and Tower

October 4, 2019

The Tolbooth and Nelson’s Tower have been visited by more people than ever before for 2019, the Forres Heritage Trust is pleased to report. Bookings for using the Tolbooth which has many rooms which can be hired for events have also increased. Whilst the main tourist season is now finished, the Trust is already thinking ahead to what it can do to improve next season. This year, Nelson’s Tower which sits on Cluny Hill above Grant Park saw over 3302 visitors, an increase from 3025 last year. It was only beaten in 2011, the year the Heritage Trust took …