We met at Sacred Heart Church in Cumbernauld on 19th June 2026 to explore and enjoy the marvellous walls of dalle de verre created by Sadie McLellan in the 1960s.

Our first Symposium of 2026 was held in the Robin Chapel in the Craigmillar area of Edinburgh on 27th March.

We were warmly welcomed by the Chaplain, Rev Dr Iain Barclay, who started the day by describing the founding and ongoing work of the Thistle Foundation, which is a Scottish charity originally set up by Sir Francis and Lady Tudsbery to support disabled ex-servicemen, and now helping all sorts of people with long-term health conditions to live their best lives.

Many Scottish congregations need to make difficult decisions about the future of their building, and – our especial concern – the fate of the stained glass. Church members don’t always know that when a congregation moves it is also possible to move the stained glass.

St Mungo’s Museum is a splendid building, designed like a castle and filling the site of the former Glasgow Castle, next to the cathedral. Back in the 1990s, two of our trustees, SB and LC, worked extensively to prepare the stained glass for display, and so they were able to share a lot of background information while they led a guided tour of the windows.

The history window depicts Wallace, Malcolm Canmore, St Margaret and the Bruce, designed by Noel Paton and made by Ballantine. It is strange to see Robert the Bruce
depicted here in the act of murdering the Red Comyn, an act that was carried out in a
church and must have been shocking at the time.

We heard about the collection of stained glass that was lost in a disastrous fire thirty years ago. Lots of photographs were on display along with two unusual items. Firstly, a vidimus, a scale model made of glass by stained glass artist Oscar Patterson in 1912 as part of his design proposal for the original east window depicting the Crucifixion.

The group, led by our trustee Rona Moody, enjoyed exploring the history and art of the wonderful windows, including a lovely depiction of the founder Bishop Clement by Gordon Webster and impressive works by Douglas Strachan.