Primary five pupils from Kirn Primary School had the honour of opening a 61-year-old time capsule that was rediscovered during the refurbishment works at the Queen’s Hall in Dunoon as part of the CHORD Project.

Those who watched the third and final episode of The Country Council on BBC 1 Scotland last night (Thursday), will have seen footage of the time capsule being opened by the children, revealing a unique piece of Dunoon’s history.

Inside the capsule was a variety of items including a miniature bottle of Old Mull Scotch Whisky, with the insert card from a packet of cigarettes; a selection of bank notes; a Burgh of Dunoon Year Book from 1957-1958; and business cards from Provost EF Wyatt, and Town Clerk Alex F Dobie.

The capsule also contained copies of four local newspapers. These included The Dunoon Advertiser and District Courier from March 9 1905; The Dunoon Herald and Cowal Advertiser from March 19 1905; The Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Advertiser from 28 July 1956; and The Dunoon Observer and Argyllshire Standard from August 4 1956.

The time capsule was originally buried when the Dunoon Pavilion was being built in 1905 and was later unearthed and re-buried with additional items after the pavilion was demolished due to a fire on April 3 1949. The Advertiser of March 9 even bears the scars of the fire, with the middle crease containing scorch marks.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Policy Leader for Education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly said: “This was a very interesting and unexpected find, and I’m delighted that the children from Kirn Primary School were given the chance to explore its contents and find out about Dunoon’s unique history.”

The Council’s CHORD Programme Manager, John Gordon agreed: “It was a real surprise for us to rediscover the contents of the time capsule.

"The refurbishment of the Queens Hall will benefit Dunoon’s young people for years to come, so discovering the capsule was a good opportunity for us to get children from Kirn involved in the project. They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves.”