Building record MAB3416 - NELSON'S TOWER, CLUNY HILL, FORRES
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Summary
Memorial tower commemorating Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, built by Charles Stewart.
Protected Status/Designation
- Listed Building (B) 31631
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred NJ 0445 5906 (40m by 40m) Centred at - Polygon: Known Site Extent |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | NJ05NW |
| Authority | Moray |
| Civil Parish | Forres |
Type and Period (7)
- TOWER (Post Medieval to Modern - 1561 AD to 2050 AD)
- PLAQUE (Post Medieval to Modern - 1561 AD to 2050 AD)
- TOWER (Post Medieval to Modern - 1561 AD to 2050 AD)
- Memorial (Post Medieval to Modern - 1561 AD to 2050 AD)
- Memorial (Post Medieval to Modern - 1561 AD to 2050 AD)
- TRIANGULATION PILLAR (Post Medieval to Modern - 1561 AD to 2050 AD)
- Memorial (Post Medieval to Modern - 1561 AD to 2050 AD)
Full Description
Memorial tower commemorating Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, built by Charles Stewart. Building began in 1806, but it was not completed until six years later in 1812, and was restored after a fire in 1900 by John Forrest. It was designed as a 'monument to departed heroism', and it was paid for through public subscription, which was organised by prominent members of the community. Approximately £610 was raised from 269 subscribers. One of the earliest monuments in Britain to Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson (d.1805), the foundation stone was laid on the 26th August 1806 by James Brodie of Brodie as part of a ceremony attended by all the prominent inhabitants of Forres and the surrounding district. Coins and a parchment scroll were placed under the foundation stone, and after a speech and a prayer, the Forres Volunteers fired three volleys in the air and the procession returned to Forres for a celebration at Maclean's Inn on the High Street. It is an octagonal, four-storey tower circa 70 feet (21 metres) high, surmounted with flagstaff. There are three floors connected by a spiral staircase, and the tower has a diameter of 24 feet (8 metres). It is harled, with ashlar margins. There are simple Gothic windows and door, a corbelled and crenellated parapet and spout gargoyles. Above the doorway is inscribed 'CONDITA AERAE D SINCLAIR INSPECTORE C STEWART ARCHITECTO A SMITH OPIFICE'. On the exterior of the tower there are a number of inscribed panels, which commemorate Nelson's victorious battles at Trafalgar (1805), the Nile (1798) and Copenhagen (1801), and two cannons flank the entrance. The tower also contains a marble memorial to the memory of the men, from Forres and the surrounding district, who died in the South African War (the Second Boer War of 1899-1902). This memorial was unveiled on 22 October 1905 by the Duke of Richmond and Gordon, Lord Lieutenant of Moray. The tower appears on Wood's 1823 map with a spire. The flagstaff, bolt, red aircraft warning light and centre (sighting point) at the top of tower are Ordnance Survey trigonometrical survey points (OS trig points) and are depicted on the 5th edition OS map.
Period Notes
Built in 1806-12 and restored in 1900. Listed designation given on 26/01/1971.
Author unknown, , PRESS & JOURNAL, 27/05/92 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1416.
WATSON, J, 1868, MORAYSHIRE DESCRIBED, 274 (Bibliographic reference). SAB2003.
DOUGLAS, R, 1934, ANNALS OF FORRES, 327 (Bibliographic reference). SAB356.
COLVIN, H, 1978, BIOG DICT OF BRIT ARCHITECTS, 793 (Bibliographic reference). SAB270.
Apr 3 2015 , AAS-GR-15-04-205, 206, AAS-GR-15-04-205, 206 (Ground Photograph). SAB35555.
Jul 2 1992 , AAS/92/03/S9/7, AAS/92/03/S9/7 (Air-oblique Photograph). SAB31088.
May 2 2016 , AAS-GR-16-05-043 - 076, AAS-GR-16-05-043 - 076 (Ground Photograph). SAB33963.
Author unknown, n.d., FORRES GAZETTE, 20/08/97 (Bibliographic reference). SAB523.
Author unknown, n.d., THE NORTHERN SCOT, 20/03/87 (Bibliographic reference). SAB1270.
Sep 27 2022 , PUB-GR-22-09-046 - 059, PUB-GR-22-09-046 - 059 (Ground Photograph). SAB36188.
Other Statuses/References
- Authority: MOR;
- HES Listed Building Number: 31631;
- NMR Card Number: NJ05NW81;
- NRHE Numlink: 15864;
- Old Historic Environment Record Ref: NJ05NW0053;
External Links (2)
- https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/designation/LB31631 (Historic Environment Scotland Portal Link)
- https://www.trove.scot/place/15864 (trove.scot link)
Sources/Archives (10)
- --- SAB1270 Bibliographic reference: Author unknown. n.d.. THE NORTHERN SCOT. 20/03/87.
- --- SAB1416 Bibliographic reference: Author unknown. . PRESS & JOURNAL. 27/05/92.
- --- SAB2003 Bibliographic reference: WATSON, J. 1868. MORAYSHIRE DESCRIBED. Y. 274.
- --- SAB270 Bibliographic reference: COLVIN, H. 1978. BIOG DICT OF BRIT ARCHITECTS. 793.
- --- SAB31088 Air-oblique Photograph: Jul 2 1992 . AAS/92/03/S9/7. Black & White. AAS/92/03/S9/7.
- --- SAB33963 Ground Photograph: May 2 2016 . AAS-GR-16-05-043 - 076. Digital. AAS-GR-16-05-043 - 076.
- --- SAB35555 Ground Photograph: Apr 3 2015 . AAS-GR-15-04-205, 206. Digital. AAS-GR-15-04-205, 206.
- --- SAB356 Bibliographic reference: DOUGLAS, R. 1934. ANNALS OF FORRES. 327.
- --- SAB36188 Ground Photograph: Sep 27 2022 . PUB-GR-22-09-046 - 059. Digital. PUB-GR-22-09-046 - 059.
- --- SAB523 Bibliographic reference: Author unknown. n.d.. FORRES GAZETTE. 20/08/97.
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Record last edited
Nov 12 2024 11:12AM
