Forres 389789 224925832 2008-07-11T01:07:13Z 79.70.9.32 {{Unreferenced|date=July 2007}} [[Image:Forres sueno.jpg|thumb|[[Sueno's Stone]] in Forres]] '''Forres''' ([[Scottish Gaelic language|Gaelic:]] ''Farrais''), is a town and former [[royal burgh]] situated in the north of [[Scotland]] on the [[Moray]] coast, approximately 30 miles east of [[Inverness]]. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions<ref>[http://www.forresinbloom.co.uk/scotland-in-bloom-awards.htm Forres In Bloom]</ref>. There are many geographical and historical attractions nearby such as the [[River Findhorn]], and there are many historical artifacts and monuments within the town itself{{Fact|date=July 2007}}. ==Brief history and overview== Forres is thought to be the "Varris" shown on maps by [[Ptolemy]] almost 2,000 years ago. There was a royal castle there from at least [[900]] AD and in around [[1140]] AD it became a royal burgh. Royal burghs were founded by the [[Kings of Scots]] of the [[12th century]] to encourage trade and economic improvement. The local [[abbey]] was plundered by [[Wolf of Badenoch]]{{Fact|date=July 2007}}. On [[23 June]] [[1496]] King [[James IV of Scotland]] issued a [[Royal Charter]] laying down the rights and privileges which the town's people are believed to have held by an earlier charter since the reign of King [[David I of Scotland|David I]] some 300 years earlier. Forres has grown in recent years and now has over 9,000 inhabitants<ref>[http://www.moray.gov.uk/census_2001/uvtownspop_forres.htm 2001 Census Profile<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. Sitting between the floodplain of the River Findhorn and the wooded slopes of [[Cluny Hill|Cluny ]] and Sanquhar Hills, Forres is well known{{Fact|date=July 2007}} for its award winning floral sculptures and is steeped in local history and traditions. It has a number of Bars and pubs, including The Newmarket, The Red Lion, The Mosset Tavern, and The Carlton Hotel. The town is the location of [[Sueno's Stone]], an enormous carved stone, probably created by [[Picts]] to commemorate a battle against [[Norsemen|Norse]] invaders. [[Brodie Castle]] lies near the town. [[Shakespeare]]'s play ''[[Macbeth]]'' locates Duncan's castle here. Macbeth's castle was located at Inverness. The town has a network of footpaths that have been established and waymarked by the [http://www.forresfootpathstrust.org.uk/ Forres Footpaths Trust] in recent years. ==Parliamentary burgh== Forres was a [[Borough constituency|parliamentary burgh]], combined with [[Inverness]], [[Fortrose]] and [[Nairn]], in the [[Inverness Burghs (UK Parliament constituency)|Inverness Burghs]] [[constituency]] of the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of Great Britain]] from 1708 to 1801 and of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] from 1801 to 1918. The constituency was abolished in 1918 and the Forres and Nairn components were merged into the then new constituency of [[Moray and Nairn (UK Parliament constituency)|Moray and Nairn]]. ==Transport== Forres is situated on the A96 trunk route connecting the cities of [[Aberdeen]] and [[Inverness]]. Due to high volumes of traffic passing through the town centre, a bypass was built in the late 1980s to reduce congestion in the town centre. The A980 connects Forres with [[Grantown-on-Spey]], [[Aviemore]] and the south directly without the requirement of driving via Inverness. The B9011 connects Forres to [[RAF Kinloss]] and [[Findhorn Bay]]. Findhorn is well known for its beach, boats and is home to the [[Findhorn Foundation]], a spiritual community. [[Forres railway station]] is situated just outside of the town and is operated by [[First ScotRail]]. The town of Forres was once a junction in the [[Highland Railway]] network, travelling through Forres was once the quickest route to reach Inverness from the south. Originally the station had three platforms - two operating in the direction of Inverness and Aberdeen and a third operating a service to Grantown-on-Spey, a service which was closed in the 1960s and now forms part of [http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_42561.html The Dava Way], a scenic footpath connecting the two towns. Inverness Airport is approximately 30 minutes away by road and provides links mainly to other airports within the UK. ==Education== *Anderson's Primary School, High Street (State Primary School) *Applegrove Primary School, Orchard Road (State Primary School) *Pilmuir Primary School, Pilmuir Road (State Primary School) *Forres Academy, Burdsyard Road (State Secondary School) *Moray [[Steiner School]], Drumduan House, Clovenside Road (Private School 5 to 16 year olds) ==Sport== Forres has a host of various sporting activities within it including [http://www.forresgolfclub.co.uk Forres Golf Course], which has held the Scottish Young Professionals championships a number of times. It also plays host to [[Highland League]] team, [[Forres Mechanics]] and [[Scottish Junior Football Association|Junior]] club [[Forres Thistle F.C.|Forres Thistle]]. ==Town twinning== *{{flagicon|United States}} [[Mount Dora, Florida|Mount Dora]], [[Florida]] *{{flagicon|Germany}} [[Vienenburg]], [[Germany]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.forres-gazette.co.uk|The Forres Gazette - The Local Newspaper] *[http://www.moray.gov.uk/census_2001/uvtownspop_forres.htm Census data] *{{gbmapping|NJ035585}} *[http://www.forres-net.co.uk Local Website] *[http://www.falconermuseum.co.uk Local Museum (Falconer Museum)] {{coor title d|57.6097|N|3.62|W|region:GB_type:city}} {{Moray places}} [[Category:Places in Moray]] [[Category:Royal burghs]] [[de:Forres]] [[nl:Forres]] [[no:Forres]] [[pt:Forres]]