Aberlour

Aberlour, a village in central Moray, is situated 15 miles south of Elgin on the River Spey. The village was officially named 'Charlestown of Aberlour', after Charles Grant of Wester Elchies who in 1812 laid out the village in its present plan comprising a mile-long High Street with the square to the west, with two bridges, one an old packhorse bridge crossing the burn of Aberlour and another crossing the Spey, which is a modern steel suspension footbridge built by James Abernethy in 1902. The original houses were built mainly of stones taken from the bed of the Spey. To the north east of the village stands Aberlour House built in 1838 to a design by William Robertson for Alexander Grant, The Gordons of Aberlour lived in the house for many generations. To the south of Aberlour is Ben Rinnes which rises to a height of 840m (2,755ft). The new Aberlour Distillery was built by James Fleming in 1879. Within the grounds of the distillery is the St Drostans Well, which marks the source of an exceptionally pure spring. Aberlour originally became famous for its orphanage, but its now better known for Tourism, Whisky and Shortbread.

Walkers Shortbread

Walkers luxury shortbread and biscuits are prepared in Aberlour. The Walkers story begins over a hundred years ago in 1898, when 21 year old Joseph Walker opened his village bakery in Torphins with the dream of making the finest shortbread in the world. The Company became a great success, and as the demand for the quality shortbread increased, Joseph invested in a horse and cart to deliver his baking further afield. He then moved from the shop to a small factory in Aberlour. By the 1970's, Joseph's grandchildren carried forward the tradition of baking still using the traditional recipe for biscuits, cakes and oatcakes, and exporting the shortbread to over 60 countries around the world. Within a decade they won three Queens Awards for Export Achievement. They are the only Scottish manufacturing company to have won these awards. The Walkers shortbread is presented in smart new packaging incorporating Scottish character with red Walkers tartan.

Aberlour Orphanage and Aberlour Parish Church

The Orphanage was founded in 1875 by the Reverend Charles Jupp, the original premises were located at 'Burnside', at the west side of the village and were replaced by a much larger development in 1889. In its heyday the Orphanage provided a refuge for over 1000 children at any one time, by the 1960's developments in Social Care, reduced the demands for placements at the Orphanage, closure came in 1967.
Aberlour Parish Church is an Norman style church, situated in Aberlour village square, it is owned by The Church of Scotland. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1861. The Church in the old days was the social and civic as well as the religious centre of village life. In the 16th century came the Reformation and the first Protestant minister of the Presbytery of Aberlour is recorded as being a Mr. Wm. Peterkin in 1569. In the churchyard today there are many interesting inscriptions of prominent local people of that time dating back to 1664.The ancient name of this parish was Skirdustan, so called from its Patron Saint Dustan, The modern name is Aberlour from its local situation.

Aberlour Today

Today Aberlour is quite a small town on the banks of the Spey, with several distilleries and many places of interest. The Speyside Way, the long distance footpath from Tomintoul to Spey Bay passes directly through the village. The fastest flowing river in Britain also passes through Aberlour. The village offers ideal fishing and canoeing. A great attraction to Aberlour is the Highland Games, which take place on the first Saturday in August each year. Last years events were well attended, it featured 7 Pipe Bands (140 Pipers and Drummers). Highland Dancing is always popular at the Highland Games. Other events at the games include Tug o' War, Solo Piping and Haggis Hurling. Places worth a visit at Aberlour are the Aberlour Orphanage and the Alice Littler Park. Also the world famous Walker's Shortbread Factory and Aberlour House Preparatory School.