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Falconer Museum, founded by bequests by Alexander Falconer in 1856, and by his brother Dr Hugh Falconer, as well as later bequests from their brother Charles, and three nieces. The building was designed in the Italian Renaissance style by local architects A. and W. Reid, and was constructed in 1868-70. An additional tower and dome were originally proposed, but were never realised due to a lack of funds. Indeed, Alexander Reid absorbed much of the building costs himself, as well as initially funding the running costs of the museum. The finished building is a rectangular, two-storey building, with a three-bay North entrance facade, and a six-bay elevation on the West, to Tolbooth Street. It is constructed of finely stugged ashlar with polished ashlar dressings on its North and West sides, with rubble-built flanks to the South and East and a piended slate roof. It features a Vitruvian scroll between the ground and first floors, with rosettes in a frieze, a cornice, and a parapet with terminal finials to both of the principal facades. The North facade has a shallow advanced centre bay, with a paved Roman Doric columned portico. There is a pilastered and shafted round-arched tripartite above, featuring broad outer pilaster strips, a supporting frieze inscribed 'Falconer Museum' and a pediment enclosing a portrait bust of Hugh Falconer, and a crowning anthemion. The outer bays have round-arched pilastered windows in each floor. The ground floor windows are topped with shell decoration and portrait-mask keystones, while the first floor windows are recessed in panels. The West elevation has two advanced centre bays with a panelled parapet. As on the North facade, it also features ground floor level windows adorned with shell decoration and portrait-mask keystones. All of the first floor windows are bipartite. Originally, the front of the building was encased by cast iron railings, which it is thought were removed during World War II. On the North and West facades, a number of eminent scientists are depicted above the ground floor windows in portrait-mask keystones. These are Georges Cuvier (French Baron and naturalist), Sir Isaac Newton (mathematician and philosopher), Hugh Miller (Geologist), Sir Walter Scott (novelist and poet), Sir David Brewster (philosopher and scientist), Edward Forbes (Professor of Natural History), Dr John Malcolmson (Geologist) and James Watt (Inventor of the steam engine). The museum (now closed) has a fine collection of fossils, local antiquities and useful historical material about the district.
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Historic Environment Records (HER) 
Moray
HER -
NJ05NW0167 - FALCONER MUSEUM, TOLBOOTH STREET, FORRES