A long-forgotten time capsule has been uncovered in the charred remains of a landmark North Lanarkshire church, months after the building was destroyed in a deliberate fire.
Contractors dismantling what was left of St Mungo’s Church in Cumbernauld stumbled across the metal container during clearance works, following a request from congregation members who suspected a capsule had been buried when the church’s foundation stone was laid in 1964.
The capsule had been sealed and placed beneath the base of the building in November 1964, when the stone was set in place by General Sir Richard O’Connor, then the Queen’s Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
Its discovery came only after Morag Rusk — Session Clerk of Cumbernauld Trinity Parish Church and formerly of St Mungo’s — found an old order of service for the foundation-stone ceremony among her late mother's belongings.
Another member of the congregation unearthed a similar document, which contained a line noting that “a canister containing records and coins shall be laid in the foundations.”
Armed with that clue, Mrs Rusk asked the demolition team to keep watch.
“Amazingly they actually found it in the rubble and handed it over to us,” she stated.
Inside the tightly packed canister were copies of the Cumbernauld News from October and November 1964 — including the edition announcing the death of the church’s minister, Rev Simon Roy MacKintosh, who died just five days prior to the laying of the foundation stone.
Also preserved were documents from the Linlithgow and Falkirk Presbytery relating to the church’s construction, notes outlining the minister’s early ideas for the layout, the congregational roll, and several coins. Pewter communion items were among the few other objects recovered.
The cylinder was opened recently at a Cafe Church gathering, where members shared both the sadness of the church’s loss and the delight of the unexpected historical find.
St Mungo’s — designed by renowned architect Alan Reiach and famous for its pyramid-shaped roof — had stood in the heart of Cumbernauld since the 1960s.
The B-listed structure went up in flames on August 2 in what emergency services later confirmed was a deliberate act of fire-raising. No one was harmed, but the building was beyond saving. Police Scotland say no arrests have yet been made, but the investigation remains open.
The congregation, now part of Trinity Parish Church following a 2024 union with Cumbernauld Old Church and Kildrum and St Mungo’s, has been grieving the loss of a beloved spiritual home.
Moderator of the General Assembly Rt Rev Rosie Frew visited the ruins shortly after the fire to offer support.
Overcome with emotion, she described the congregation as “grieving” and assured them of the wider Church’s prayers.
Despite the trauma, Mrs Rusk says conversations about a new, modern building on the site have already begun. Discussions with the local officials and the Church of Scotland’s General Trustees are still at a preliminary stage and are set to continue into 2026.
