A new children’s book highlighting the landmarks of Forres has gone to print and will be available to buy soon.
Fantastic Forres, written by well-known local musician Ewen Watson and illustrated by his girlfriend Sathya Schlösser, features accurate historic records and beautiful coloured pictures of historic landmarks such as the Tolbooth, Nelson’s Tower, The Witches Stone, Sueno’s Stone, and others.
Ewen said he consulted with archives and historians to ensure accuracy, and the pictures drawn by Sathya have cutaways that illustrate the architecture of the buildings and what’s inside them.
Ewen said: “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I formed the idea with my girlfriend during lockdown. She illustrates children’s books for a living, so this came naturally to her.
Morag and Hamish
“Children will be able to find out about Forres’ history, landmarks, famous faces, and more! Updates and sneak peeks will be posted on our Facebook page.”
The history of Forres is told through the eyes of the fictional character Morag and her dog Hamish as they walk through the town.
Two of the spreads have been reproduced as boards to hang in the Tolbooth and Nelson’s Tower. These offer children an easy-to-digest history of both buildings when they visit.
The two landmark buildings are open to the public throughout the summer – Nelson’s Tower daily from 2pm to 4pm and the Tolbooth operates guided tours on the first Saturday of every month.
The book will be available from www.fantasticforres.com and at local events.
