Fochabers is a village in the Parish of Bellie, in Moray, Scotland, 10 miles (16 kilometres) east of the cathedral city of Elgin and situated on the eastern bank of the River Spey. 1,728 people live in the town, which enjoys a rich music as well as cultural background. The town is likewise residence to Baxters, the family-run maker of foodstuffs. The town owes its existence to Alexander Gordon, fourth Duke of Gordon (1743-1827). Throughout the late-eighteenth century, throughout the Scottish Knowledge, it was trendy for landowners to located new communities as well as villages; these can be identified throughout Scotland, due to the fact that unlike their precursors they all have right, vast streets in mainly rectangle-shaped designs, a central square, and also the houses constructed with their major elevations alongside the street. The tenants took advantage of even more spacious houses, and the Battle each other, it needs to be stated, benefited from not having the hoi polloi living in hovels precisely the doorstep of Gordon Castle. Fochabers was founded in 1776, and is one of the most effective instances of a prepared town. It is a conservation area, with the majority of the structures in the High Street detailed as being of historical or building passion, as is Bellie Kirk, the Roman Catholic church St. Mary's Fochabers, which houses works by significant artisans, and also the Episcopalian church, Gordon Chapel, which boasts the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite stained glass in Scotland. Power was given the village in 1906 by Charles Gordon-Lennox, 7th Duke of Richmond provided from a little hydro-electric producing terminal built in 1905 in the Quarters area on the banks of the fast-flowing Spey. Temporarily in the mid-twentieth century, Fochabers was the residence of 3 duchesses - Hilda, Duchess of Richmond and also Gordon; Ivy, Duchess of Portland and also Helen, Duchess of Northumberland. In between 1893 and also 1966 the village had a train station, Fochabers Community, although after 1931 this was open just to freight. For virtually three years, the people of Fochabers advocated a bypass, as the village is positioned on the A96, the only direct route from Aberdeen to Inverness, and also as a result struggles with serious traffic troubles. Construction work with a bypass for Fochabers and also the adjoining town of Mosstodloch started on 2 February 2010 and also was finished in January 2012, at a cost of £31,500,000. The task was considerably delayed due to contrast pertaining to the suggested route, and discovery of a Neolithic settlement on the site of the bypass.