A major project to open up the history of Cumbernauld has been completed, giving people easier access to thousands of records about the town’s development.
North Lanarkshire Archives has finished cataloguing the records of the Cumbernauld Development Corporation (CDC), the body set up in 1956 to build Scotland’s first post-war new town.
The work was made possible thanks to a £34,000 grant from the Archives Revealed programme, a partnership between The National Archives, the Pilgrim Trust and the Wolfson Foundation.
Over two years, archivists and volunteers created a new electronic catalogue containing more than 16,000 entries, covering the period from 1677 to 1996.
The collection includes historical title deeds, minutes, reports, planning and design drawings, photographs and promotional material.
It shows how the small village of Cumbernauld was transformed into a new town, home to tens of thousands of people.
To mark the end of the project, staff, volunteers, councillors and community members gathered at North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre. Attendees had the chance to hear from those involved, view some of the records and tour the archive store.
Councillor Geraldine Woods, communities convener, said: "This project has preserved an important part of our area’s history and made it accessible to everyone. The story of Cumbernauld’s growth is not only significant locally, but also nationally, as an example of post-war town planning. I want to thank our dedicated staff, volunteers and partners for making this possible."
The new catalogue is now available on the council’s own system and will also be published on the UK Archives Hub and Your Scottish Archives platforms.
A second celebration took place at Cumbernauld Library on Thursday 21 August.