No stonemason listed in Fochabers yet.

A stonemason works with natural stone - repairing walls, lintels, steps and chimneys, repointing lime mortar joints and carrying out restoration work on older buildings.

In Scotland, with so many stone-built properties, a skilled local stonemason is an essential trade to have access to.

Always check that they use lime mortar rather than cement on traditional stone buildings - using the wrong mortar can cause serious long-term damage to old masonry.

Fochabers is a planned village on the east bank of the River Spey, laid out in the late 18th century when the 4th Duke of Gordon relocated the original settlement away from Gordon Castle.

The village is the home of Baxters, the food company whose factory and visitor centre draw visitors from across Scotland.

Properties include elegant Georgian houses on the village square, traditional stone cottages and some modern housing on the outskirts.

Fochabers has a primary school, an antiques centre, local shops and a folk museum, and the River Spey offers renowned salmon fishing nearby.

The planned village's period architecture and the surrounding estate properties create demand for tradespeople with experience in traditional stonework and sympathetic renovation.

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Moray is a council area on the southern shore of the Moray Firth in north-east Scotland, stretching from the fertile coastal lowlands inland through the broad valley of the River Spey to the fringes of the Cairngorms.

Elgin is the administrative centre and largest town, a handsome settlement built around the ruins of its medieval cathedral - once known as the Lantern of the North. Forres, Lossiemouth, Buckie and Keith are the other main towns, each with a distinct character shaped by the industries and landscape around them.

The region has the highest concentration of malt whisky distilleries in Scotland. Speyside - the valley of the River Spey running through Dufftown, Craigellachie and Aberlour - is home to some of the most famous names in Scotch whisky and the Malt Whisky Trail draws visitors from around the world. Dufftown alone has more distilleries than most countries.

RAF Lossiemouth is one of the largest military bases in Scotland and a major employer in the area, while the Moray Firth coast supports fishing communities at Buckie, Burghead and Lossiemouth. Farming - particularly barley growing, which feeds the distilleries - remains central to the local economy across the fertile coastal plain.

Transport links include the A96 connecting Elgin to Inverness and Aberdeen, with rail services running along the same corridor. The A95 follows the Spey valley south towards the Cairngorms, connecting the whisky towns and providing access to the Highlands.