March 2025
Visited with @Mr Budge en route home from a trip to the highlands, I can remember looking at photos of this place around 2014/15 and thinking I quite fancy it for myself, but tor whatever reason I never made the trip up, that is until now. When I arrived at the location I knew that I wanted to do something a bit different, I took the view that this spot has been well covered by others in the past and given the sheer amount of graffiti littering the walls, the bright colours of which would distract from any traditional photographs, I thought I would approach this explore differently. Having recently upgraded my camera to an X-T5 I thought I’d make use of the film emulation feature and shoot the Seminary in Acros.
For those who don’t know/ remember the days to film, Acros was a modern emulsion type film, similar to Kodak's T-Max and employed Fujifilm's Sigma Crystal Technology and Super Uniform Fine-Grain Technology, resulting in an increased amount of light captured by the film grains and more efficient use of this light. The X-T5 does a wonderful job of emulating this classic film which coupled with the brutalist concrete design makes for an interesting take.
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History
St Peter's Seminary, located near Cardross in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, is an iconic structure with a fascinating history. The building, originally designed to serve as a seminary for the training of Catholic priests, has experienced a dramatic evolution, from its construction and acclaim to its later abandonment and efforts at restoration. Here’s a detailed history. The seminary was built in response to the destruction of the previous seminary in Bearsden, Glasgow, by fire in 1953. The Archdiocese of Glasgow required a new facility for training Catholic priests, and St Peter’s Seminary was designed by the renowned architectural firm Gillespie, Kidd & Coia. The architects, Isi Metzstein and Andy MacMillan, were tasked with creating a modern and functional building that would blend with its natural surroundings in the countryside near Cardross.
Construction began in 1961 and was completed in 1966. The site was chosen to take advantage of the dramatic views of the River Clyde, and the building was designed to make a strong architectural statement. The design incorporated both the existing Kilmahew House, a 19th-century mansion, and a bold, modernist, brutalist addition for the seminary. St Peter’s Seminary is an outstanding example of Brutalism, a style of architecture that emerged in the mid-20th century. The design combined rough concrete, striking geometric shapes, and dramatic forms to create a structure that was both functional and visually arresting. The seminary’s most prominent feature is its towering, angular façade and the bold concrete walls, which make a stark contrast to the surrounding natural beauty. Despite its somewhat controversial appearance at the time, the building quickly gained recognition for its architectural innovation and was featured in various architectural journals. Over time, it became one of the most well-known examples of Brutalist architecture in the UK.
When completed, St Peter’s Seminary served as the residential and educational center for the training of Catholic clergy. The building housed seminarian accommodation, lecture halls, chapels, and communal spaces. It was designed to facilitate a contemplative and reflective environment for students, with a unique layout that emphasised isolation and connection with nature. The seminary functioned as an active religious training institution until the late 1980s. During this time, it was regarded as a state-of-the-art facility, offering a modern approach to theological education and fostering a sense of community among the seminarians.
In the late 1980s, St Peter’s Seminary faced a series of challenges. The changing dynamics within the Catholic Church and the decline in the number of people entering the priesthood led to a reduction in the need for seminary spaces. In 1987, the seminary was officially closed, and the building was abandoned. Over the following decades, the once-grand building deteriorated due to neglect, vandalism, and the harsh Scottish weather. The building, which had once been admired for its innovative design, became a symbol of decay, with its stark concrete walls slowly being overtaken by vegetation and time. Despite its condition, St Peter’s Seminary continued to be an object of interest for architectural enthusiasts and preservationists. In the 1990s and 2000s, there were several attempts to save the building from demolition, as it had become a prime target due to its dilapidated state. However, the site remained in disrepair, and many feared it would be lost to history.
In 2010, the architectural community rallied to save the seminary, and the building was added to the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. The efforts culminated in 2020 when the Kilmahew Education Trust took responsibility for the site with the aim of restoring the building and repurposing it for public use. The trust plans to preserve the building’s architectural integrity while adapting it for modern uses, such as a cultural or educational centre.
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Fujifilm X-T5, 10-24mm f4 R OIS WR
