St Peters Seminary - May 21

[BikinGlynn]

St Peters Seminary

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brutalism /ˈbruːtəlɪz(ə)m/
a stark style of functionalist architecture, especially of the 1950s and 1960s, characterized by the use of steel and concrete in massive blocks.
"the long, low, concrete-faced buildings were remarkable solely for their brutalism"

Just a quick pictorial tour of this well known place.

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St. Peter's Seminary is a former Roman Catholic seminary near Cardross, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Designed by the firm of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, it has been described by the international architecture conservation organisation Docomomo International as a modern "building of world significance". It is one of only 42 post-war buildings in Scotland to be listed at Category A, the highest level of protection for a building of "special architectural or historic interest". It has been abandoned since 1987, and is currently in a ruined state. In July 2020, the site was given to the Kilmahew Education Trust Ltd who plan to reinstate the educational elements of the Seminary Complex after conservation and restoration

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Determinedly modernist, brutalist and owing a huge debt to Le Corbusier, the seminary is widely considered to be one of the most important examples of modernist architecture in Scotland. Architecture critic Jonathan Glancey wrote:

The architecture of Le Corbusier translated well into Scotland in the 1960s. Although the climate of the south of France and west of Scotland could hardly be more different, Corbu's roughcast concrete style, could, in the right hands, be seen as a natural successor or complement to traditional Scottish tower houses with their rugged forms and tough materials.

Thanks For Looking
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[Stealthstar79]

liking this! interesting place and fab pics ...

 

[BikinGlynn]

liking this! interesting place and fab pics ...

Thanks, it's been a bit done to death tbh but still worth a look if up that was it's a inspiring building

 

[night crawler]

You took some really nice shots of the place better that others I have see. I think the word for the place is Burtalist Architecture like a lot of stuff that came out back then

 

[wolfism]

Nice one, it's very stripped now compared to what it was like before NVA buggered things up, but you caught Cardross on a rare sunny day, so all good.

 

[Hayman]

It is very difficult to choose between St Peter's seminary here and St Peter's basilica in Rome, to decide which is the more beautiful/attractive/aesthetic/elegant building.

 

[verdigris]

I think this place was featured in the TV programme 'Abandoned Engineering' - but that was a few years ago , when it looked in a lot better shape than in these photos, and before it was 'decorated'by graffiti
I suspect nothing will be done, sadly it will just be left to rot away

 

[BikinGlynn]

Nice one, it's very stripped now compared to what it was like before NVA buggered things up, but you caught Cardross on a rare sunny day, so all good.

Did anyone get pics when there was still "stuff" iv only ever seen it as a concrete skeletal shell

 

[wolfism]

Did anyone get pics when there was still "stuff" iv only ever seen it as a concrete skeletal shell

Yeah, I've got pics from visits in 2005 and 2007, before the altar was smashed, and while there was still timber flooring, partition walls and vault-shaped plaster on lath ceilings in the priests' little bedrooms on the upper floors.

Cardross was a fixture on the Scottish exploring scene before 28 Days and DerP even existed, there are some shots (not mine) on Hidden Glasgow from 2003 - http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/StPeters/161103/index.htm

 

[BikinGlynn]

Yeah, I've got pics from visits in 2005 and 2007, before the altar was smashed, and while there was still timber flooring, partition walls and vault-shaped plaster on lath ceilings in the priests' little bedrooms on the upper floors.

Cardross was a fixture on the Scottish exploring scene before 28 Days and DerP even existed, there are some shots (not mine) on Hidden Glasgow from 2003 - http://www.hiddenglasgow.com/StPeters/161103/index.htm

thats pretty cool thanks

 

[wolfism]

No worries, a lot of exploring photos from that era have disappeared off the web, with forums closing and personal websites vanishing. Occasionally you come across somebody's Flickr with shots from that "golden era", usually their account's inactive and they last uploaded something about 15 years ago…

 

[Cuban B.]

Nice one, it's very stripped now compared to what it was like before NVA buggered things up, but you caught Cardross on a rare sunny day, so all good.

What's the story with the NVA buggering the place?

 

[wolfism]

What's the story with the NVA buggering the place?

From what I understand, NVA (performing arts organisation) managed to get grant funding to take over St Peters, did a few sound & light shows, then ran out of cash and went bust. Site now even more abandoned than before, plus with the agreement of Historic Environment Scotland whatever could be stripped out has been stripped out, so it's just a concrete shell, or"stabilised ruin". Give it time and the aggregate-faced cladding panels will start to fall off as the fixings are corroding.

If anybody reading this happens to know Angus Farquhar formerly of NVA and Test Department, you can pass on the fact that he's made a bad situation much worse…

 

[BikinGlynn]

From what I understand, NVA (performing arts organisation) managed to get grant funding to take over St Peters, did a few sound & light shows, then ran out of cash and went bust. Site now even more abandoned than before, plus with the agreement of Historic Environment Scotland whatever could be stripped out has been stripped out, so it's just a concrete shell, or"stabilised ruin". Give it time and the aggregate-faced cladding panels will start to fall off as the fixings are corroding.

If anybody reading this happens to know Angus Farquhar formerly of NVA and Test Department, you can pass on the fact that he's made a bad situation much worse…

Anyone seen any recent pics of what remains? I saw some vids with half of it pulled & like u say looks like roof was going off some more of it so thats prob just a shell.
real shame someone couldn't of done a full restoration but no-one with money gives a fk