Fochabers is a village in the Parish of Bellie, in Moray, Scotland, 10 miles (16 kilometres) east of the cathedral city of Elgin and also situated on the eastern financial institution of the River Spey. 1,728 people reside in the village, which takes pleasure in a rich musical as well as social history. The town is also residence to Baxters, the family-run supplier of foodstuffs. The village owes its presence to Alexander Gordon, fourth Duke of Gordon (1743-1827). Throughout the late-eighteenth century, throughout the Scottish Knowledge, it was classy for landowners to found brand-new towns and villages; these can be identified throughout Scotland, due to the fact that unlike their predecessors they all have straight, broad streets in mainly rectangular layouts, a main square, and the houses built with their main altitudes parallel to the street. The lessees took advantage of more roomy residences, and the Duke, it has to be claimed, benefited from not having the hoi polloi living in hovels right on the doorstep of Gordon Castle. Fochabers was founded in 1776, as well as is one of the very best examples of a planned town. It is a conservation area, with most of the structures in the High Street provided as being of historic or architectural rate of interest, as is Bellie Kirk, the Roman Catholic church St. Mary's Fochabers, which houses works by notable artisans, as well as the Episcopalian church, Gordon Chapel, which flaunts the biggest collection of Pre-Raphaelite stained glass in Scotland. Electricity was given the town in 1906 by Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond provided from a small hydro-electric creating terminal integrated in 1905 in the Quarters district on the banks of the fast-flowing Spey. For a time in the mid-twentieth century, Fochabers was the house of 3 duchesses - Hilda, Duchess of Richmond as well as Gordon; Ivy, Duchess of Portland as well as Helen, Duchess of Northumberland. Between 1893 and also 1966 the town had a railway terminal, Fochabers Town, although after 1931 this was open just to freight. For virtually 3 years, individuals of Fochabers advocated a bypass, as the village is positioned on the A96, the only direct route from Aberdeen to Inverness, and also subsequently suffers from serious traffic troubles. Construction deal with a bypass for Fochabers and also the adjoining village of Mosstodloch started on 2 February 2010 and was completed in January 2012, at a price of £31,500,000. The task was dramatically postponed because of contrast relating to the recommended course, as well as exploration of a Neolithic settlement on the site of the bypass.