The Falconer Museum is about to reopen!

Plans are being developed to reopen the museum, closed by Moray Council in 2020, and to restart the services for families, schools, visitors to Moray, researchers and the public which were formerly offered by the Moray Council Museum Service.

A new volunteer organisation The Falconer Museum has taken on managing the Falconer Museum. Information and opening times will be published on their new website: https://falconermuseum.org/

Meanwhile, please feel invited to browse this museum website here for information and inspiration.

The museum was acquired by Moray Council in 1979. Moray Council also undertook to ‘continue to manage, administer and finance’ the Falconer Museum. Moray Council decided in 2019 as part of an exercise to reduce its budget deficit to cut all funding for the running of the museum service. It intended to find an alternative operating model to take over the Falconer Museum.

The Falconer Museum is named after two Forres born brothers, Hugh and Alexander Falconer. Hugh Falconer (February 29, 1808 – January 31, 1865) became prominent within the scientific community. A real Victorian polymath, Hugh was a contemporary of Charles Darwin, spending much of his scientific career in India. His paleontological work led to new ideas about the antiquity of man. He was also instrumental in introducing tea as a cash crop to India. To find out more about Hugh Falconer click here.

Alexander Falconer (1797 – 1856), Hugh’s big brother, became a merchant in Calcutta but later returned to his homeland. After his death he bequeathed £1000 in his will for the establishment of ‘a public museum in Forres for objects of art and science inclusive of a library and lecture room.’ He is buried at St. Laurence Church, Forres.

The bequest was, and still is, supervised by the Falconer Trust.  The trustees at present comprise: the minister of St Laurence parish church, the convener of Moray Council; four Moray councillors for the Forres area and three independent trustees.