Every where one goes and in every city and town across the world there are buildings that have come and gone and which have existed functionally longer than a lifetime. There are even fewer which are less than 50 years old which can be described as a building of world significance and that is exactly how
DOCOMOMO describe St. Peter's Seminary in Cardross.
St. Peter's Seminary is a Grade A listed building (originally a Grade B) which was designed by the architect firm
Gillespie, Kidd and Coia and was completed in 1966 by which time it was already considered out of date by the Second Vatican Council of the Roman Catholic Church.
The Council had decided that, rather than train in isolated seminaries, priests should be trained in local communities and engage with the population. Because of this and in part due to structural issues and difficulties in maintaining the building it never reached full capacity (100 students).
In 1980 the building ceased operating as a Seminary and was de-consecrated. It then served for a short time as a drug rehabilitation center before shutting its door for good in 1987.
Upon approaching the building you are greeted by a rather ugly and ominous looking steel fence with a sign pointing the way to 'Hell'. Access to the site was found by navigating around the left hand side where a forced access point has been created.
The first part of the building you get to is the old class room block. Now completely destroyed by fire the only thing remaining is charred pieces of wood and the concrete skeleton. With every pane of glass ruined, this section, as well as every other of the building, has been exposed to the outside world. Trees have grown their branches into the shell, ivy grows and clings to the rough concrete walls and creeps across the floor. The only thing of any significance is the prominent staircase but even that is reduced to smooth concrete ramp; the wooden steps having been burned and weathered away. Looking out northwards you can see the convent building around 300 yards ahead and the main block of the seminary to the right. The entire site is enshrouded by trees and wild vegetation.
The convent building is completely ruined and has been fenced off and secured more aggressively than other parts of the seminary. There is not much of interest left there apart from the burnt out shell of a car, which when looking around at the surrounds, must have fallen from the sky.
The number 1 attraction of the seminary though is the main block which also includes the refectory. It is such a huge cavernous space. Originally divided into floors, corridors and rooms the main block is now practically one big open space. The alter at the far end can be seen from the convent end, bar a single staircase in the middle. Practically every pillar and wall has some form of graffiti painted onto it. If there was ever a place to learn how not to do graffiti this would be it. It's become a training ground for stencil artists and traditional can writers. The de-consecrated altar has been vandalized and is almost completely covered in spray paint.
When you look at the original architectural photographs the place is a world apart and it is such a shame. The photographs show a fantastic modernist interior with lush wooden paneled walls. Due to the severe neglect and disinterest shown by the authorities the place is less than a shadow of its former self and it really is a disappointment from a preservationist point of view, however it still continues to attract people from all walks of life, from curious residents to urban adventurists... there is a certain romance that people find with the place. Perhaps romance is the wrong word but there is air of respect for the building whoever you talk to and it is that which draws visitors like relatives visiting a sick friend.
Resources and references
St. Peter's Seminary on Wikipedia
Risky Buildings
C20 Society
Visual Restoration
The Building that God Forgot
St. Peter's Seminary on Flickr
Linear Mode
