Andrew N Thom Memorial Cottage

The Andrew N Thom cottage is located in  Kirkton of Glenisla just north of Aylth  in the Angus glens and owned by the 1st St Andrews BB company.

Andrew Thom was associated with the 1st St Andrews Company of the Boys Brigade for almost 50 years. He had been recruited in 1920 as an officer by the then captain, Weir-Breen and then succeeded him as captain in 1924. Captain Thom was then in charge for 45 years until his untimely death in 1969.
As captain Thom had been such a prominent figure in the Boys Brigade and much respected in the town, it was felt that some sort of recognition should demonstrate for all the good work he had done.
The Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme was proving a big success within the St Andrews Boys' Brigade and only 2 years earlier in 1967, the first 4 boys in the company received their Gold Award. The boys were John (Ian) Mitchell, William Wotherspoon, Brian Kirk and Colin Walker. Much of the work in the latter stages of the scheme involved outdoor activities and it was felt something to facilitate this would be a suitable memorial to Captain Thom.
A fitting tribute was the erection of the Andrew N Thom Memorial Cottage at Kirkton of Glenisla in the Angus Glens to be used as a centre for outdoor activities. The cottage stands on ground gifted by the Ferrier family of Glenisla with funds raised by public subscription. Many residents of Glenisla also gave invaluable help. A squad of willing helpers led by Maurice Wilson included many officers, boys, ex-members and friends who spent many hours on site until the job was completed in September 1973. The total cost of building the cottage amounted to £2,005. Many fund raising events took place within the company and included a production of an A B Patterson play '' Reunion in St Andrews'' with leading amateur actor and ex-member Andrew Souter taking the leading part.
The cottage was officially opened by Mrs Thom on Sunday 30th September 1973 and a service of dedication was conducted by the Boys Brigade Chaplin, Rev. Charles Armour and Rev. R Maurice King of Glenisla Church. The opening ceremony and dedication service was attended by serving members of the company and Junior Section, many ex-members and friends.
In these modern time, changes had to be made to the original structure and thanks to ground gifted by Jackie and Robin Orr an extension was added in 2009. An open day was held at Glenisla on the 27th September 2009 to celebrate the completion of the work and on a day blessed with good weather, many parents and friends both past and present attended. David Macgregor Jr and his team must take great credit for overseeing the work to the extension and to the regular ongoing maintenance required to keep the building in good order to ensure that current and future young boys can make full use of this facility. This renewal and maintenance work continues to this day with voluntary help from ex-members Colin waters, Stuart Kirk Graeme Cunningham and their many friends in the building trade willing to give up their time to help them.