History of St Thomas

After these alterations, the church could accommodate 500, and the cost of the additional work came to £3,000. The congregation raised £2,000 of this sum. It is interesting to note that donations were made at the time by Lord Mount Stephen, founder of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and by Lord Strathcona.

A memorial window and Roll of Honour, were incorporated after the 1914-18 war (This was updated following the 1939-45 hostilities). A matching window depicting Christ as the Good Shepherd  surmounts a Memorial Tablet to all deceased Parish Priests of St Thomas’.

Four further stained glass windows were installed in the 1970s, through the generosity of other benefactors. These depict Our Lady of Aberdeen, Saint Margaret of Scotland, Saint Andrew and Saint John Ogilvie, whose canonisation was by then imminent. These windows were designed and made by Dom Ninian Sloane in the workshops at Pluscarden Abbey near Elgin. The Christ figure which encloses St John Ogilvie suggests a priest as an "Alter Christus" in the performance of his priestly duties. On a lighter note, the children in the St Margaret window were based on drawings of children in the parish at that time. The tartan used for the boy’s kilt was Lamont tartan.  This was a tribute to Canon Lamont, the then parish priest. It might also be noted that the colours of the glass used were chosen to reflect the very different light of north and south aspects.