Elgin, the administrative and commercial capital
of Moray, has a long and fascinating history, still reflected today
in the buildings and layout of the town. It grew up on a low ridge
between the loops of the River Lossie, and by the thirteenth century,
when it was created a Royal Burgh by Alexander II, was a thriving
town with its castle atop Lady Hill to the west, and the great Cathedral
to the east.
The Cathedral was founded in 1224 as the seat
of the Diocese of Moray, which had previously been at Kinneddar,
Birnie and Spynie. In 1390 the notorious "Wolf of Badenoch",
son of King Robert II, quarrelled with Bishop Alexander Bur, who
excommunicated him. In revenge he burned the Cathedral and the towns
of Elgin and Forres. The Cathedral was rebuilt and continued in
use until reformation. In 1567 the lead was stripped from the roof
by order of the Privy Council and Regent Moray and the process of
decay began. On Easter Sunday 1711 the great central tower fell,
and by the end of the eighteenth century the once-magnificent Cathedral
was being used as a quarry for building stone. In 1825, however,
the Exchequer assumed responsibility for the preservation of the
structure, and restoration work is still going on.
The mediaeval street plan of Elgin is well preserved.
The main street widens to the old cobbled market place, now known
as the Plainstones, and is linked to parallel streets by a series
of narrow wynds and pends. A few buildings still retain the arched
facades which were typical of early eighteenth century Elgin.
Much has been done and is being done to invigorate
the centre of the town while retaining and restoring the old buildings.
The relief road, Alexandra Road, built to free the High Street of
heavy and through traffic, has cut a swathe through the area behind
the shops on the north side of the high street, opening up new vistas
towards the Cathedral and Lady Hill. The landscaping along Alexandra
Road is of interest to gardeners, and new housing developments at
each end of the road show how modern council housing can be fitted
into the environment of a historic town.
A Profile of Moray
Moray has many pleasing characteristics, it includes
the fishing towns in the north such as Buckie and Lossiemouth; the
agriculturally rich Laich of Moray and the main town of Elgin; the
Spey Valley, home to world renowned food processors such as Walkers
and Baxters; and the highlands of the south which form part of the
Cairngorm mountain range.
Most people (almost 60%) live in the 5 main towns
of Elgin, Buckie, Forres, Keith and Lossiemouth. The overall population
density is low at 38 persons per square kilometre (compared to 66
in Scotland). There is a clear difference between the populated,
rich agricultural land in the Laich of Moray along the northern
coast and the sparsely populated upland areas to the south. The
population of around 86,000 is expected to increase gradually to
89,000 over the period to 2011.
Moray is an attractive place with 70 percent of
its area being open countryside with a further 25 percent being
made up of woodlands. The area to the south around Tomintoul will
form part of the Cairngorms National Park proposed by the Government.
There is a high degree of reliance on the food processing and whisky
industries. The food processing industry is concentrated in a small
number of local family-owned firms, whilst the ownership of local
distilleries is dominated by major multi-national firms. The local
economy also relies heavily on the presence of two major RAF bases,
which comprise 12 percent of Moray’s overall workforce. Moray
is a fragile, remote area, which has the lowest average wages in
Scotland together with a high dependency on the car with fuel costs
comprising an increasing part of the household budget. There are
high levels of demand for affordable housing resulting from the
low wage economy within Moray.
The Moray Council is responsible for providing
all the major local authority services in the Moray area, including
Education, Social Work, Roads, Economic Development & Planning
and Leisure Services. The Council employs around 4,500 people across
a whole range of professions and skills.
