Welcome to Elgin

Elgin, the county town of the traditional county of Morayshire, is located on the River Lossie, approximately 565 miles north of London and 36 miles west of Banff. 

The town has a population of around 19,500. Administratively it is the seat of the unitary council region of Moray which covers an area of approximately 2,238 sq kms and which has a population of around 87,000.

It is a busy market town and the tourist centre of Moray, predominantly renowned for its now ruined 13th-century cathedral known as the 'lantern of the north' and considered to be one of the finest ecclesiastical buildings in Scotland. It is a good base from which to explore the towns and beautiful scenery of the Moray coast.

The town's history dates from the 11th century when the castle was built by Malcolm III. Elgin became a Royal Burgh in 1224, and then a city when the Bishop of Moray chose it as the seat of the diocese. Elgin Cathedral, established in 1224, was attacked and burned several times, including in 1390 when Alexander Stewart, the Wolf of Badenoch, attacked the town. Elgin played a central part during the Jacobite rising when the Jacobite army, led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart, spent their last night here before the fateful Battle of Culloden. Following the battle Elgin Castle was demolished, and many of the area's population sent to Canada as part of the Highland Clearances. During the early 19th century, many fine buildings transformed the city, and the arrival of the railway strengthened its position aa the commercial and administrative centre of Moray.

Historically the town's economy was based upon agriculture but today the service industry is the largest sector of the local economy, employing around 64% of all workers.