by Linzi Watson

WORK to uproot Glasgow's stone circle has uncovered a time capsule.

But the container will be buried again, unopened, when the Sighthill Megalith is recreated at a new location.

The 17 standing stones which make up the monument are being moved as part of a £250 million regeneration project which takes in Sighthill Park and the surrounding area.

The Megalith, made of Whinstone, is Britain’s first stone circle built according to the alignment of the stars in several thousand years.

It was established in 1979 by the Glasgow Parks Department Astronomy Project and guided by Scottish author Duncan Lunan.

Work to pull the stones from the ground and lie them in a temporary home before they are placed in a new home in the park started on Thursday.

The time capsule, which is packed full of treasures wrapped in foil and masking tape, was embedded in the concrete underneath the centre stone.

It was discovered by contractors working to break up the concrete.

The stone circle is dedicated to four researches with connections to Glasgow who worked in the field of ancient astronomy - the late Professor Alexander Thom, Doctor Archie Thom, Professor Archie Roy and Doctor Euan MacKie.

They filled the time capsule with books, pictures and articles.

It was intended lie undiscovered for more than 37 years - so it will be again fixed in the ground along with the stones in around a year.

The work at Sighthill park is part of a five-year project, due to finish in 2019, which also involves building 800 homes and a new footbridge across the M8 connecting to the city centre.

Improved parkland, allotments and public spaces are also part of the large-scale scheme.

Contractors are working to combat the "rotten egg" stench that plagues the area - caused by toxic chemical waste, called galligu, from an old soda works.

A spokesman for Glasgow City Council said: "The intention is to rebury the time capsule with the stones when the circle is rebuilt at the new location.

"There is also discussion around burying a new capsule that would explain the on-going developments in the Sighthill area."

The standing stones were originally winched into place by a Royal Navy Sea King helicopter, after being transported to Sighthill on a lorry from a quarry in Kilsyth.

Mr Lunan, 70, who lives in Troon, said the new location is the area he first picked out at the start of the project in 1979 but it wasn’t deemed suitable at the time.

He hopes the move will give him the chance to improve the monument.

Local people fought to save the Stone Circle when it was feared it might be threatened by the development and 6,300 people signed a petition started by Mr Lunan calling for the council to scrap plans to “demolish” the circle.