St Peter’s Seminary has lay abandoned for more than 30-years and has been described as a ‘modern building of world significance’ by many with the former religious site once serving as a college for priests.
Situated in woodland in the village of Cardross, Argyll and Bute, the building first opened in 1966 and was where young men were sent to train as priests before making their break into the Roman Catholic Church.
The site never reached its full capacity of 100 students though and from the outset, it was riddled with problems including maintenance difficulties.
It closed in 1980 due Catholic congregations stagnating meaning the number of candidates entering priesthood started to fall.
Later, it became a drug rehabilitation centre but, due to the continuing issues, it was vacated in the late 1980s.
The grandiose grey concrete building stands like a soar thumb amongst the lush Scottish woodland. Decorated in colourful gravity the seminary links the past with the present.
Getting lost in the labyrinth of hallways would be an easy feat, as the dilapidated walkways twist and turn throughout the gaunt structure.
Reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic scene, one large open plan area of the structure has rubbish scattered throughout as the walls are drowned in street art.
In a subtle nod to its past, one wall has ‘Priest’ written in bright, bold letters, which reflect in the soggy puddle drowning the floor.
Explorers could spend hours in the multi-storey property, which has endless pathways and hiding places to explore.
St Peter’s Seminary is one of only 42 post-war buildings to be listed as a Category A, the highest level of protection for a site of ‘special architectural or historical interests’.
In 2017, an arts charity raised a large amount of cash to restore parts of the building and safeguard the rest – in the event of insufficient funding could be raised.
Just two years later the Scottish Government declined a request to take the building into state care on the grounds of very high estimated cost of making its safe for public access.
In July 2020, the site was given to the Kilmahew Education Trust who plan to reinstate the educational elements of the Seminary Complex after conservation and restoration.
However, to this day, St Peter’s remains in a sorry state with almost every wall within it covered in some form of graffiti art. Argyll and Bute Council say that there are currently no plans to restore the building.
An Argyll and Bute spokesperson said: ‘Plans for St Peter’s Seminary lie in the hands of its owners, who have responsibility for its maintenance.
‘Argyll and Bute Council would welcome any future discussions with them on finding a sustainable future for the building and the surrounding grounds.’