Forres Heritage Trust volunteers upgrade historic building
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VOLUNTEERS have renovated of the town's most important buildings using thousands of pounds of investment.
The court room at Forres Tolbooth has undergone major refurbishment and custodians Forres Heritage Trust (FHT) hope the work makes the space more appealing for hire and hosting events.
FHT chairman George Alexander is delighted with what has been achieved.
He said: "The room looks absolutely stunning. It has been modernised, but it still maintains its grandeur that a building of this status and historic significance commands. There was not much wrong with the integrity of the room, but it was tired, had pink walls and needed refreshing.”
He added: "The room now looks clean, crisp and elegant and we look forward to hosting even more events over the coming months. We also hope the refurbishment will be attractive to people looking to host their own events."
The works 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.
FHT member Bob James was involved in sourcing equipment.
He said: "It brings the courtroom into the 21st century and opens up a host of new possibilities such as training sessions, exhibitions, or even film screenings. We have ensured that the screen, projector and speakers were installed with minimal impact on how the court room looks. They are discrete but deliver a very high-quality output and will do so for many years to come."
Mr Alexander also paid tribute to the team of volunteers who carried out the work.
He said: "Volunteers have pitched up every Friday over the last three years to carry it out. It is a huge room, with very high ceilings and is also home to some very important and historic artwork which is significant to the town, so the team had to work carefully to ensure nothing was damaged.
"A special mention also to Tom and Iris Logie of T. D Logie’s whose wealth of experience in house furnishing was of huge benefit to the renovations."
The next public event to be held at the Tolbooth will be the historic photo exhibition which will take place between September 4 and 7.
Following that, the Tolbooth and Nelson’s Tower will be open free of charge as part of Moray Doors Open Day on September 21.
