A 60-year-old time capsule has been discovered in the rubble of St Mungo's Church in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, after the B-listed building was destroyed by deliberate fire. The metal canister, buried when the foundation stone was laid in November 1964, came to light thanks to a congregation member who possessed an original order of service document.
Morag Rusk, session clerk of Cumbernauld Trinity Church, explained how the discovery unfolded. «I had the order of service from November 7 1964, kept by my mum, but did not realise there was a time capsule buried in the foundations,» she said. Another congregation member called her about the same document, which stated that «a canister containing records and coins shall be laid in the foundations».
Rusk alerted the demolition team clearing the fire-damaged site. «I asked the demolition team to look out for it and amazingly they found it in the rubble and handed it over to us,» she said.
Contents revealed
The capsule was opened at Cafe Church a few weeks ago. Inside were copies of the Cumbernauld News from November 6 and October 16, 1964, pre-decimal coins, papers from Linlithgow and Falkirk Presbytery, and draft ideas from the parish minister for the building's layout.
«The contents were tightly packed, it is such a wonderful and unexpected find,» Rusk said.
Deliberate fire under investigation
The church was destroyed by fire on August 2. Detective Sergeant Craig Jeffrey of Police Scotland confirmed the nature of the incident. «Inquiries so far have established the fire was deliberate. We are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anything to contact us,» he said. «We'd also ask anyone with footage of the area at the time to please come forward.»
No arrests have been made in connection with the fire, which claimed the modernist church with its distinctive pyramid-shaped roof.
Historic building lost
St Mungo's Church was designed by architect Alan Reiach and completed in the 1960s. General Sir Richard O'Connor, representing Queen Elizabeth II as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, laid the foundation stone in November 1964.
Rusk previously described the building's significance: «It was an iconic landmark and the pyramid tower could be seen as you drive into the town from whatever direction, Glasgow, Airdrie and Falkirk.»
Reverend Simon Roy MacKintosh, who was heavily involved in the building plans, died just five days before the foundation stone ceremony.
Looking forward
Despite the loss, the congregation is focusing on the future. St Mungo's merged with Cumbernauld Old Church and Kildrum Church to form Trinity Parish Church in 2024.
«Despite losing the building in such bad circumstances, the site has now been cleared and the congregation is feeling positive about the future as discussions about the possibility of building a new modern church building on the site are under way,» Rusk said. Talks with the General Trustees of the Church of Scotland and the local authority are in early stages and will continue in the new year.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
