Great Britain St Peter's Seminary, Cardross - June 2013

[seaside_rambler]

The Seminary was built following a fire at the original St Peter's Seminary in Bearsden, Glasgow in 1946. Plans were drawn up to to build a new Seminary on the 57 hectare Kilmahew Estate, incorporating the old Kilmahew House into the plans. Andy McMillan and Izi Metzstein of Gillespie, Kidd and Coia designed the new Seminary, which would become famous for it's stark modernist brutalist style and unique ziggurat rooflight.

Once complete in 1966 the number of students to the priesthood had declined and the seminary never reached it's full capacity, also with it's unique structure there were maintenance and water ingress issues from the start. Changes were abound in the priesty world, and in 1980 St Peter's closed it's doors for good. It was then used as a drug rehab centre until the late 1980s. Kilmahew House itself was demolished after a fire in 1995.

So since then beings who are natively termed 'neds', vandals, nature and pikies have had a good crack at destroying the place, but I think there is a desolate but tranquil kind of charm to it in it's current condition and surroundings of lush green trees and stuff. It was a beautiful mostly sunny day when Scattergun and I visited, which gave some great lighting. Did something a bit different with most of the pics as I just didn't like the dull colours of them. No exciting and dodgy access stories I'm afraid, just enjoyed the peace and wandering and of course laughs

Did something a bit different with most of the pics as I just didn't like the dull colours of them"

These next two are portrait- (If they need to be smaller the links are at the bottom of the page )

Cheerz, Oh can you centre it please Thank you please

smaller portraits -

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[mookster]

In that state it looks more like a multi storey car park than a Seminary

 

[seaside_rambler]

Haha it's not too pretty but i liked it

 

[Scattergun]

Its a monumnt to both architecture and scottish urbn exploration and you've captured it beautifully hopefully the arts council tryin to save it will make some headway in preserving its current state whilst reusing it as an events and exhibition space for people like ourselves. Its time we gave something back! It might not look much now, its a mere shadow of its former self, but in its heyday it was ahead of its time.a rather unique place. You should dig out some archive pictures

 

[skeleton key]

Cool Additions star i was just struggling as said to picture it as was

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[Scattergun]

Brilliant archive shots! Shme kilmahew house is no longer standing, you can thank the neds for that!

 

[TheBaronof Scotland]

nice pics,its a very peaceful explore, loving the old pics, never seen some of them before !

 

[jones-y-gog]

Trashed but still interesting

I likes

 

[Lara]

Nice one star!! Really well captured!

 

[seaside_rambler]

Thank yous

 

[Shush]

Wow, what a peculiar place, cracking pics, thanks for the old pics SK.

 

[Perjury Saint]

Brilliant lookin structure! And crackin pix!!

 

[Stussy]

Superb stuff Barbara, love this place, been a couple times now, even met Goggleman there once, he was 2 hours late

Cracking set of pics!

 

[seaside_rambler]

Thanks Father Stussy, did you take your friend Ken there too?

Don't underestimate Goggleman's concept of time...there is method in his madness