Moffat Baths Hall

During the renovation work of removing the paint from the sandstone, the Trust were delighted to find a section of carved sandstone that reads "BATHS".  We assume that originally there was stone carved to read "BATHS HALL" or might even have had the word "Moffat" at the beginning.  This carved stone would have been installed at the time of the hall being built in 1827.  A Community questionnaire is available, one of the questions being asked is for your view of whether the hall should continue to be called the "Town Hall" or changed. 

It is quite remarkable how, during the period when the small section of scaffolding was removed to allow the Gala stage to be put in place, there were many folk surprised at how attractive the hall looked without a coat of paint and we hope to be able to keep it as the natural sandstone.  In this blogger's view (not necessarily representative) a natural sandstone building would have a much greater "presence" in the Town Centre.

The original "BATHS" carved sandstone

Partial removal of the scaffolding with the Gala stage in place

The 2013 Moffat Run

Always a highlight of gala week in Moffat, -the 2013 Moffat Run from the Ram to Ericstane and back took place this this Tuesday evening.

Despite the weather being far too hot for sane runners, there were healthy numbers from running clubs across Dumfries & Galloway, Lanarkshire, the Borders and Strathclyde, as well as brave locals, including two game ladies celebrating their 40th and a "scrum" from the Rugby Club raising money for charity.

I was hosting a friend from Cumbria-representing St Bees Tri-ers and we trotted across to the Town Hall to register his entry for this year-(I pulled the excuse of a bad back!).

The Town Hall is very much the support centre for the race and as well as registration and toilets inside, the stage erected out front for gala week is used for the announcements, prize giving and general urging on of competitors:

Come in No 22 your time is up!

The sun may have deterred some runners, but not the spectators and several hundred had gathered to watch first the junior races and then the main event;

The first runners amazingly completed the 15K run in around the hour point and were happy to sit and eat their medicinal chips and shade their eyes from the psychedelic orange t shirts given to each runner in their goody bag, while their friends completed the race over the next 3/4 hour.

 

 

 

See you all next year!!!!!

A mini-unveiling in readiness for the MOFFAT GALA stage

WOW !!  Along the 10-year road to work starting on the Town Hall, it has oft been said that the building was "an old lady in need of a facelift".  Well, with MOFFAT GALA starting on Saturday, a section has been unveiled to facilitate the action that takes place on the stage.  What do we see?  We see a section of the facelift work, and how fantastic it looks!  

It's much easier with the paint removed to see the wonderful carvings in the sandstone and the colour of that against the grey stone makes it stand out even more.  

Here are some photographs to be going on with, but enjoy what you see during all the coming week's MOFFAT GALA celebrations as we look forward to a full unveiling in the Autumn.