Time capsule buried to mark School’s bicentenary year
Staff and students submit items to reflect veterinary science in 2023 for future generations.
A time capsule was buried in the Dick Vet Hospital Garden at Easter Bush Campus to mark the end of the School’s bicentenary year.
The intention is that the time capsule will be opened in 100 years and give people an idea of what life on campus was like in the past.
Community project
Staff and students from the School were invited to submit items to seal inside the 25-litre capsule.
Objects related to veterinary science and studies were collected, including letters to future colleagues and photographs of staff, students and the campus.
Objects connected to the School’s bicentenary, including a swatch of the bicentenary tartan, menu cards and programmes from events held throughout the year, and the bicentenary timeline book, were also included.
Items connected with life at the School including lecture notes, staff cards, and an undergraduate prospectus, were sealed in the time capsule.
Routinely used clinical items such as a surgical mask, syringe and an ICU treatment sheet were also included, to give vets in the future an insight into veterinary practice today.
Historic cache
Time capsules have been used for over 200 years and are a popular way to communicate with people in the future. Valued by historians, the containers allow the preservation of a collection of everyday artefacts to give insight into life at a specific time.
The time capsule was designed for burying underground. The end caps, which are embossed with the details of the School and the year the time capsule was buried, provide a water and air-tight seal.
The time capsule project was organised by the School’s Bicentenary Committee, who documented and photographed everything sealed inside, and lodged the information with the University’s archivists.
It was quite strange writing a letter and knowing you will not be alive when it is read. We hope that future generations will find the contents intriguing when the capsule is opened 100 years from now.
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About the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies is a one-of-a-kind centre of excellence in clinical activity, teaching and research. Our purpose-built campus, set against the backdrop of the beautiful Pentland Hills Regional Park, is home to more than 800 staff and almost 1400 students, all of whom contribute to our exceptional community ethos.
The School comprises:
The Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Systems
The Hospital for Small Animals
The Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education
We represent the largest concentration of animal science-related expertise in Europe, impacting local, regional, national and international communities in terms of economic growth, the provision of clinical services and the advancement of scientific knowledge.