Cumbernauld Old Parish Church

The aims of Project ROCK are two-fold: to repair (or replace) the roof of the Parish Church building in Baronhill, and to completely renovate the outhouse at the manse to provide proper accommodation for the Thrift Shop and J-Team.

Phase One of this project, the renewal of the church roof and the subsequent refurbishment of the worship sanctuary, was completed in August 2015 and a service of celebration and thanksgiving took place on the evening of Sunday 30th August 2015.

The background to the project is outlined below, and it's clear why this has been such a major undertaking for the congregation.

The present roof was put on between 1721 and 1739 (no-one seems sure when) and time has taken its toll. Also, as we don't have a church hall, our Sunday School in the Village (the J-Team) used to meet in the Village Primary School. However, since its closure, the children have been meeting in a number of different locations, which is far from ideal. So we are looking at whether the manse outbuildings can be extended and modernised into a Church Hall.

The outbuildings had housed our Thrift Shop for several years but, as they became unsuitable over time, it is hoped that their renovation can also allow us re-open the Thrift Shop.

Following a regular review by Falkirk Presbytery in 1999 Cumbernauld Old commissioned two surveys to be carried out on the Church buildings. The subsequent reports recommended, among other things, the replacement of the Church roof as well as further repairs to the structure and stonework of the church building.

Because we were in the process of appointing a new minister at that time, nothing was done immediately but two further independent surveys were commissioned in 2003 specifically, this time, concentrating on the state of the roof. Their conclusions were similar to the earlier surveys and so we decided to act.

In 2004, a project team was set up and they started co-opting people to work on what was going to be a major project for our congregation. A comprehensive Business Plan was drafted, including an inventory of all the necessary repairs and upgrades, including replacing the electrical wiring as it was (at that time) over 25 years old, provision for temporary accommodation during the works (if required), etc.

As our church is “B” listed and the manse outbuilding is “C” listed by Historic Scotland we did not have a free hand to do what we wanted. That, and a whole series of other complexities and difficulties, meant a rather long drawn-out process. However, because of our Historic Scotland listing, we were eventually in a position to get grants from them and the Heritage Lottery Fund to cover some of the cost of the roof renovation (Phase One of Project ROCK). Grants, of course, will not cover the total cost of the project and so we also have had a major fund-raising programme underway since 2004.

Everything we do has to have the approval of the Church of Scotland General Trustees, who are the owners of the church building, and we are in constant discussion with them about the way forward.

A project of this magnitude requires the support of everyone in the Church, the parish and the wider community of Cumbernauld, if we wish to preserve our church buildings for future generations. For more information, check out our Latest News and Fundraising pages. Please contact the minister (phone number above) if you can help.