Restoration work under way on Elgin landmark

Work is under way on restoring an iconic structure in Elgin town centre.

The Muckle Cross – which stands on the Plainstones in the shadow of St Giles Church – was constructed around 1888 and has been showing signs of significant decay and deterioration.

The £45,000 project will preserve the historic fabric of the monument – which occupies a prominent position and is an important part of Elgin’s heritage - and restore it to its former glory.

The work, which is being undertaken by local company Darroch and Allan, is expected to be completed by the spring.

The first cross on the site was originally known as the Mercat Cross and is thought to have been built in the late 1300s when the area around St Giles included both a market place and a burial ground.

The Muckle Cross – meaning Big Cross – was designed by Sydney Mitchell and is a category B listed monument.

Funding for the restoration project has come from Moray Council, the Elgin Common Good Fund and the Elgin Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS).

Further funding for traditional building repairs in Elgin town centre is available through the CARS programme, further information on which is available at www.elgincars.org.uk

Grant funding is available for owners or occupiers for repairs to sash and case windows, rainwater goods, stonework, roofs, chimney repairs and other works.

Moray Council area stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Forres in the west. The council and its 4,500 employees respond to the needs of 95,510 residents in this beautiful part of Scotland, which nestles between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live.

Headquartered in  Elgin, the administrative capital of Moray.