Time capsule emerged during demolition

George, from Fintry, spent hours taking hundreds of photographs and video clips.

“I enjoy photography and I enjoy seeing places of interest like old buildings, churches, castles, old mansions and disused asylums,” he told me.

“All of these will eventually fall to time.

“It’s best to catch them before they disappear forever.

“Watching them work away from the inside – including pulling up the floorboards down to the foundations – was fascinating.”

But he also got more than he asked for.

While he was inside, workers found a time capsule under the floorboards by the front door, which had been sealed there when the church was built.

“I was there when they found the time capsule,” he said.

“I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.

“Nobody really knew it was there, so it came as a real surprise.”

Church’s end captured from every angle

The contents included copies of the Courier and Evening Telegraph, church paperwork, a Bible, a church magazine, and a leaflet from the inauguration ceremony.

Since then, the church has conserved them.

George continued shooting until the building’s final features were removed.

The demolished old metal notice board was “another iconic moment”.

“It was bittersweet to watch the church being pulled down,” he told me.

“But I felt fortunate to be there and see history.

“I even flew my drone up while they flattened the area to get one final glimpse.

“Any time I pass the site now, it all comes back to me.”

A brick from the church’s main doorway is now proudly displayed in his residence.

Craigiebank Church was created by architect Frank Thomson, whose father, James Thomson, was a visionary city architect who also designed Caird Hall.

The church hall, which had served the town since October 1932, was built in an early-Norman design and could accommodate 500 people.

On paper, the Evening Telegraph stated that the structure would include a nave, transepts, choir and chancel, an organ chamber, and a 132-foot tower.

In the end, the tower never materialised.

St Luke’s Church, West Ferry, East Church, Broughty Ferry, and St John’s (Cross) Church in Blackness Avenue, all designed by Frank Thomson, were all planned to feature towers or spires but were never built.

The furniture of Craigiebank Church was made of Austrian oak.

The foundation stone was placed by the Very Rev Dr John White, a former moderator of the General Assembly, amid a severe downpour in June 1937.

He was a leading factor in the national church extension drive, using a silver, ivory-handled trowel provided by the Craigiebank Committee.

Charles Dick and Son of Monifieth oversaw the construction work.

Fast progress, despite setbacks on site

Work moved rapidly, despite a few setbacks.

In January 1938, Broughty Ferry foreman joiner James Anderson jumped off a platform while working on a building project and sustained brain injuries.

Fortunately, following hospitalization, he was allowed to return home.

When it was finished, the church was a magnificent sight.

The pulpit, supported by five Norman columns, had a Celtic cross surrounded by traditional evangelistic symbols.

 

The stair newel posts featured kneeling angels.

Electric illumination integrated into ceiling panels was praised as ahead of its time.

The church was officially opened in September 1938.

The ceremonial knock on the door was performed by the moderator of the Presbytery of Dundee, Lochee East, Rev George McGregor.

As is customary, session clerk John Muir opened up and handed out the key.

Stories, services and community life unfold

The roof was not as prepared for worship as the congregation was.

In December 1938, a pound of plaster fell from the roof during a service, falling in the pulpit and almost missing Rev John Yule.

An “audible gasp from the congregation” occurred.

Rev Yule paused slightly before continuing with his speech.

Rev. Alexander Walker arrived in 1945.

He led Craigiebank through the decades that followed.

The church was used by the 50th Craigiebank Boys’ Brigade Company, the Anchor Boys, and the Brownies, as well as hundreds of weddings.

Things didn’t always go as planned.

Marjorie Brodie and James McNicoll arrived in June 1946 to find the church closed and the priest AWOL due to a misunderstanding about the date.

A succession of urgent phone calls were made to locate a replacement.

A pastor from Ogilvie Church was eventually put in a taxi to rescue the service.

Additionally, funeral services were held there.

The building remained a popular gathering spot, and the grounds were often busy.

In the 1950s, there were summer fetes, donkey rides, and swing boats, followed by drama clubs, jumble sales, and book fairs.

The closing chapter of Craigiebank Church

The years eventually caught up with the structure.

In November 2009, a £1 million plan was made to demolish and rebuild the B-listed church due to “severe damp” damage.

However, no action was taken, and regular church activities continued.

Then, in 2013, it made headlines again.

This time, it was ruled hazardous and “decommissioned” formally.

After a thanksgiving service, services were moved into the hall, giving guests one more chance to look around and “think back on everything that had happened there”.

A concert provided the congregation one final chance to hear the church’s pipe organ.

It was destined for the scrap heap before being disassembled and transported 4,000 miles to a church in Kazakhstan, where it is now performed every week.

In September 2021, the church was formally designated for demolition.

In June 2022, the church came together for one final time to say goodbye.

Demolition began in January 2023, and it was all captured through George’s lens.

Shortly later, the site was up for sale.

It’s still simply an empty patch of ground.

The north-east of Dundee is now served by a single united church.

Craigiebank Church shaped the community surrounding it through worship and major family events like baptisms, weddings, and funerals.

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