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St Peter's Seminary, Cardross
In January I went to a place I had heard much about and desperately wanted to photograph. The place was the old seminary at Cardross, near Helensburgh. Built by the famous architectural company Gillespie, Kidd and Coia, Saint Peter’s Seminary opened in 1966 - but even on it’s first day, the very function of the building had already changed and the brand new seminary was already a relic of a past age. In 1980, the seminary closed. Since then, the building has slowly decayed - ironically, the very concrete which was so integral to the design of the building (and which drew such criticism from some quarters) has kept the shell of the building standing. Described alternately as ‘brutalist’ and ‘modernist’, the structure owed a great deal to the designs of Le Corbusier. It has also been declared ‘the most important building in Scotland since the second world war’.
After a long walk through woods along the remnants of a once well-used path, Cardoss suddenly appears in view, a great brick and concrete edifice, very imposing and very derelict. The high steel fence may put off the casual walker, but just to the left, a gap in the fence allows easy entry to the building.
Once inside, there are five floors to the main building, as well as a crypt containing small chapels and the former temporary resting place of an Archbishop. There is also a convent and a block of old classrooms - although these are too ruinous to enter. Despite the potential for danger, the place has become a firm favourite with photographers and urban explorers and is mentioned on numerous websites.
All that is left of Cardross is the concrete shell - a large portion of which is covered in graffiti, including the huge granite altar. But looking down through the vastness of the building from close to the altar, it is hard not to be impressed. Equally, looking down through the building from the remnants of the upper floors is even more impressive.
But while it is impressive, it is also very dangerous in parts and anyone visiting there is strongly advised to be very careful where you step - particularly on the external walkway surrounding the upper floors, where the ballustrade is very unsafe in some sections; and the concrete arches on the upper floors - these are far thinner than you might think and will not support weight.
From a photographic perspective the building offers plenty of opportunities - the whole place as a single entity, or detail shots of the side chapels and archways, the burned wood and encroaching vegetation.
Looking at Cardross in its present state, it is difficult to imagine it as a working seminary, where men lived and trained and relaxed. Seeing a film of the college from those days went some way toward changing that, but also increased the feeling of sadness that such an extraordinary place is lying in ruins, decaying day by day.
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