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Plaques in place to sign-post Grantown's rich heritage





Bill Sadler (right) and Lee Grant in the High Street. Plaques have also been erected at locations including the Garth Hotel, Court House, The Square, Morlich House, Grant Arms Hotel, Church Avenue. Speyside House and the skating pond.
Bill Sadler (right) and Lee Grant in the High Street. Plaques have also been erected at locations including the Garth Hotel, Court House, The Square, Morlich House, Grant Arms Hotel, Church Avenue. Speyside House and the skating pond.

Grantown’s town centre is sporting 24 new plaques, inviting residents and visitors to explore the Strathspey capital’s rich heritage.

The Grantown Society’s initiative was supported by local Co-op members through the retailer’s Local Community Fund.

The plaque locations roughly correspond to those marked on the town’s heritage trail map and

they have been welcomed as a great new, nostalgic attraction by townsfolk.

Society chairman Bill Sadler said: “The process has taken much longer than expected, due to Covid-related delays. First the company producing the plaques went into lockdown and, on reopening, found the designs had been lost.

“Key workers had left, and stock of the special material used for making the plaques had to be resourced from Belgium – even then a printing error meant further delays and changes.

“While it has taken a long time and no little frustration, it is good to see the plaques now in place, thanks to the efficiency of local builders, Lee Grant and Neil Paterson.”

A digital trail and online heritage plaque memory scrapbook is now planned, and each plaque has a QR code opening up further information on the society’s website.

One of the new signs in front of Grantown Baptist Church.
One of the new signs in front of Grantown Baptist Church.

The Grantown Society has said the plaques are a sign of the “much- sought” revitalisation of the town centre.

Mr Sadler said: “A Conservation Area Management Plan is eagerly awaited as a context for further developments once the two planning authorities are back to full strength.

“This is following on from Highland Council’s Conservation Area Plans, which was managed by the society on the local authority’s behalf.”

Meanwhile, 3A’s Grantown, another society venture, funded by Sustrans, is working to create an active, accessible and attractive network of routes and destinations within the town.

The group is consulting with the wider community for ideas on re-imagining The Square, High Street and Burnfield as safe and inviting destinations, with initial consultation through the new Grantown Forum.

TGP Landscape Architects – also working on The Cairn distillery at Gaich – are involved as are researchers from UHI.

Mr Sadler said: “The much-needed ‘wellbeing project’ is timed to coincide with the emergence from lockdown and rebuilding business, and is in association with wider town centre initiatives led by the community council.

“As well as promoting and creating local walks both actual and digital, the society has also initiated the Strathspey Now project to provide gigabit-capability community broadband based in Grantown and the benefits it can provide for the residents, business, tourism, 999 services and so on.”


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