Elginshire (or Morayshire), maritime county, in NE. of Scotland; is bounded N. by the Moray Firth, E. and SE. by Banff, SW. by Inverness, and W. by Nairn; coast-line, 30 miles; 304,606 acres; population 43,788. Along the sea-coast the surface is mostly low and sandy; inland it consists of fertile valleys, divided by low hills, which gradually rise to the mountains on the S. border. In the S. a large portion of the surface is still covered by forest. The principal rivers are the Spey, Lossie, and Findhorn; the Spey and the Findhorn have salmon and grilse, and in the lochs there is abundance of trout; large quantities of haddock, cod, and ling are caught in the Moray Firth. In the lower part of the co. farming and stock-raising are prosecuted with great success. The principal crops are wheat, oats, potatoes, and turnips. Granite occurs in the S., and red sandstone in the N. There are large quarries of freestone and a few slate quarries; whisky is distilled; and there is some shipbuilding at the mouth of the Spey; but otherwise the industries, besides agriculture and fishing, are unimportant. Corn, timber, salmon, and whisky are the chief exports. The county comprises 15 parishes, and 7 parts, the parliamentary and royal burgh of Elgin (part of Elgin Burghs), and the parliamentary and royal burgh of Forres (part of Inverness Burghs).
– John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887)
Brodie Castle
Forres
Forres IV36 2TE
0844 493 2156
www.nts.org.uk/Property/Brodie-Castle
Set in peaceful parkland, this fine 16th-century tower house is packed with enough art and antiques to keep connoisseurs happy all day. It contains fine French furniture English, continental and Chinese porcelain and a major collection of paintings, including 17th-century Dutch art, 19th-century English watercolours, and early 20th-century works.
Dufftown Museum
The Tower, The Square
Dufftown AB55 4AD
01340 820507
www.whisky.dufftown.co.uk/whisky_museum.php
The Dufftown Whisky Museum provides a unique opportunity to discover the secrets of whisky making in days gone. It also gives a fascinating insight into the lives and times of whisky smugglers. Many of the exhibits were provided by local distillers as well as HM Custom and Excise.
Elgin Cathedral – Historic Scotland
Elgin
King St, IV30 1HU
01343 547171
www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/places
The superb ruin of what many think was Scotland’s most beautiful cathedral. Much of the work is in a rich late 13th-century style, much modified after the burning of the church by the Wolf of Badenoch in 1390.
Elgin Museum
1 High Street
Elgin IV30 1EQ
01343 543675
Possibly the oldest independent museum in Scotland. Established in 1836, with the purpose built museum opening in 1842.
Collections: World famous fossil collection, Romano-Celtic collection, Pictish Stones, and the ‘People & Place’ exhibition.
Falconer Museum
Tolbooth Street
Forres IV36 1PH
01309 673701
falconermuseum.co.uk
Established in Victorian era by the Falconer family to offer the town of Forres a museum and library facility.
Collections: Includes many local artefacts, both archeaological and from Victorian age donated by residents since the founding in 1871. A portion of Dr Hugh Falconer’s fossils together with his library and personal papers are held in our store.
Grantown Museum & Heritage Centre
Burnfield House, Burnfield Avenue
Grantown-on-Spey PH26 3HH
01479 872478
www.grantownmuseum.co.uk
Grantown Museum tells the story of the town’s beginnings and is a source of great pride to the people of Grantown. The museum houses the archives of the Grantown Society. It provides research facilities for genealogy and local history. Grantown is the traditional home of the Clan Grant and the museum receives frequent visits and enquiries from Grants across the world.
Knockando Woolmill
The Woolmill, Knockando
Aberlour AB38 7RP
01340 810 345
Set deep in the Spey Valley, Knockando Woolmill is a district mill, serving the needs of the local community and processing wool into yarn and woven cloth on historic machinery and looms, in continuous production for over 200 years.
Moray & Nairn Family History Society
www.morayandnairnfhs.co.uk
Moray & Nairn Family History Society was established in February 2009, for people researching their ancestry in these old counties. The society has members throughout Britain and overseas.
Moray Council Museums Service
Falconer Museum, Tolbooth Street
Forres IV36 IPH
01309 696261
www.moray.gov.uk/museums
The Moray Museums Service manages three cultural sites; Falconer Museum and Nelson Tower in Forres and the Tomintoul Museum. Please contact us with any questions or queries you may have relating to our museums or other aspects of Moray culture.
Moray Local Heritage Services
Local Heritage Officer, Moray Local Heritage Centre, Institution Road
Elgin IV30 1RP
01343 569011
www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_1537.html
The Local Heritage Centre for Moray offers a fascinating insight into Moray’s history and ancestry searches.
Tomintoul Museum
The Square
Tomintoul AB37 9ET
01807 580285
www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_627.html
On the margin of the Cairngorm Mountains, situated in the highest village in Britain. Reconstructed crofter’s kitchen. Reconstructed village blacksmith’s shop (the ‘Tomintoul Smiddy’). The sounds and smells of rural working life. Displays on local wildlife. The history of Tomintoul and Glenlivet.
Tugnet Ice House
Tugnet, Spey Bay
Fochabers IV32 7DU
01249 449500
www.wdcs.org/connect/wildlife_centre/spey_bay.php
Recently acquired by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, please call for details ahead of making any plans to visit. Reputedly the largest industrial ice house in Scotland, Tugnet Ice House nestles between the River Spey and the Moray Firth at the mouth of the Spey. This spectacular building is open to the public free of charge, and you are welcome to walk through its six chambers and appreciate the spectacular vaulted brick ceiling.