Tain’s Red House stained-glass window smashed — but owners believe ‘there’s beauty in what’s broken’
A BEAUTIFUL stained glass window on a much-loved historical building in an Easter Ross town has been smashed - but the owners believe that the community spirit will not be broken so easily.
Last Sunday (July 21), it was reported that a centuries old stained glass window on the Red House in Tain had been smashed, sparking outrage amongst locals — however the owners state that there is still “beauty in what is broken” and therefore do not plan to repair the damage.
In November 2023, Claire and Paul Daniels bought the B-listed building on Tower Street, with the vision to renovate and covert it into a residential property.
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The unique stained-glass windows were hand-crafted in the 1800s, and designed by the Maitland family of architects.
“The windows are one of a kind — they’re irreplaceable.” said Claire. “We made the decision not to replace the window, but instead preserve the integrity of what was undamaged. It would feel like sacrilege to destroy what was left of the stained glass in order to mend what has been broken.”
The building was designed and occupied by architectural practice, Andrew Maitland and Sons, as their studio offices until the turn of the 20th century, when The Red House became the procurator fiscal offices.
Claire continued: “Restoration isn’t just about piecing things back together… it’s about revealing beauty and strength in places that once symbolised pain and defeat. There is beauty in the broken, and we aim to demonstrate that with this beautiful window.
“Even though the window got broken, the community spirit didn’t.
“I don’t want to ask for money — it’s not about that. We just hope that people continue to celebrate the beautiful things in life and show they are worth protecting.”
Police confirmed they had received a report of the incident and are investigating.
Locals commenting on social media termed the vandalism “mindless”. One wrote: “This town has a lot of moronic neds who love vandalizing anything. Hopefully they will be found and dealt with.”
Another stated: “A hell of a lot of mindless crime happening in Ross-shire and [to be honest], probably will never get caught sadly.”
