The Hidden Glasgow Forums

Apollo wrote:Incidentally, Google maps have hi-res pics of the area, if I'm not mistaken it can be seen clearly NNW of the golf course.

It is indeed NNE of the golf course, but not within reasonable walking distance of the main village itself which is unfortunate if you are trying to entice families with young children who would be walking along the road (no paths exist at the side of the country road). Cardross is I would say retirement city and therefore the times of people who would be here wouldnt be the sort who would help support an art gallery, which I believe was another possible suggestion of use by the supporters of the site.

Thanks for the location confirmation, I never realised that the instructions for getting there really meant it when the said you'd think you're never going to find it. Anythign that goes there will need an access road as part of the plan. Thank goodness I never decided to stop in Cardross in the days when I'd heard of it, but before seeing the HG guide. I'd still be in there.

Almost makes you admire the determination of the vandals etc., prepared to make the hike just for a little undisturbed fun. Still, could dole out some undisturbed punishment if you ever found any there

Must be the same branch that goes and trashes ROC posts in places on the northern tip of Scotland, up around Tounge, John'O'Groats etc.

You'd think there'd be somewhere they were too lazy or stoned to go

I wouldn't have described the college as being NNW of the golf course, NNE perhaps but it depends where you are on the course! Access to the site by road used to be possible from both the Carman Road and the Barrs Road. The former was the main access. After the college closed I think it was the adjacent Kilmahew House that was used as a rehab centre for a while. I don't think St Peter's itself was used but I may be wrong. When that finally closed the vandals continued to use the tarmac drive off the Carman Road to get to the site in their cars. Early attempts were made to padlock the gates at the gate lodge but I seem to remember that they were cut off more than once. The second move to prevent access involved a large pile of soil and rubble on the road. I can't recall how successful that was but the access from the Barrs Road was a shorter trek so they perhaps came in that way. St Peter's College may still stand in ruin but Kilmahew House (a much more attractive property in my view) was destroyed by fire. It is not just the college and original house that have suffered at the hands of vandals.
Also in the vicinity and of some historical significance is the remains of Kilmahew Castle, possibly a fortified medevial tower house. It is to the NW of St Peter's in the woods and although it is a ruin it is not through 20th century vandalism!

Indeed, NNE it is.

The gloves with R/L E/W on them usually work, but they still have to be put on the correct hand to be any use.



I had another look about and came up with this link http://www.c20society.org.uk/docs/casew ... eters.html which glimpses the corner of a rather attractive Kilmahew House, and this link http://www.riskybuildings.org.uk/docs/2 ... index.html which I must have seen some time ago as it refers to the flats and stabilisation I was thinking of in my earlier post. Both appear to date around 2004.

The Risky Buildings item also considers the problem I alluded to that the remains of the seminary structure, being contructed to uniquely serve the building's original purpose, really put a dampener on any practical ideas for re-use.

(Hmm... Risky Buildings also lists the Apollo Pavilion )

Interesting links there Apollo. In one of them it mentions how the Glasgow Diocese moved to Cardross in 1946:

St Peter’s Seminary, Cardross, was born out of the need to replace St. Peter’s College, Bearsden, which was destroyed by fire in 1946. The college was moved to Darleith House in 1946, and in 1948 it was expanded to Kilmahew House (1865-8), a Scotch Baronial mansion built to the designs of John Burnet the elder.

Now what I don't think has been mentioned is that Darleith House (about a mile to the west of Kilmahew) was used by the Jesuit order, I presume after the Glasgow Diocese had moved entirely to the Kilmahew site. The Jesuits called their college St Xavier's but unlike St Peter's I don't think there was any extra buildings and certainly no concrete carbuncle added.

St Xavier's closed sometime possibly in the 70's but what has happened to the building, Darleith House, I don't know. Perhaps someone reading this can provide an update.

Darleith House is still marked on the road map as Darlteith Stable House on Darleith Road. I checked on google earth and it looks as though there might be a ruin in the woods:

Blure = Darleith rd
Yellow = Stables?
Red = Darleith House?

todays the List (yeah im the one who buys it)

Filmaker Murray Grigor has won the 2005 Lighthouse Achievement Award, an annual prize which recognises contributions to the promotion of architecture with £5000 to realise a project. Grigor plans to use his prize to re-film his documentary on St Peter's Seminary in Cardross, shot in 1974. The film will match the original frame for frame, to demonstrate how much Scotland's best 20th century building has fallen into disrepair.

My Kitten wrote:todays the List (yeah im the one who buys it)

Filmaker Murray Grigor has won the 2005 Lighthouse Achievement Award, an annual prize which recognises contributions to the promotion of architecture with £5000 to realise a project. Grigor plans to use his prize to re-film his documentary on St Peter's Seminary in Cardross, shot in 1974. The film will match the original frame for frame, to demonstrate how much Scotland's best 20th century building has fallen into disrepair.

interesting. Do you know the name or have a copy of this film?
also, did he ever make the parody?

Its called "space and light" and can be obtained from Scottish Screen Archive

http://data.scottishscreen.com/film/detail.php?id=30710001

Thanks Kitten,
Just been up there on sunday. Alter has been totally wrecked, and it looks like there was a Guy fawkes or haloween party recently, wood was still smoking.
Planning another trip this sunday for basement pics and other bits we missed, and you know what they say about safety in numbers! Anyone fancy meeting in cardross for a group event round the place, i can meet you there before hand.
Email me at [email protected] or reply here if you need further info,
cheers,
Tommy

Apollo wrote:Incidentally, Google maps have hi-res pics of the area, if I'm not mistaken it can be seen clearly NNW of the golf course.

I may not be clued up on googlemaps, (as the reply to this will no doubt show) but why are there hi-res satellite images of this disused seminary, woods, and some small town called Cardross (in the worldly scheme of things) and lo res pics of glasgow town centre?

What did they want to see here??

Well, I'd hazard a guess that it's down to money, since I imagine even google has to buy their hi-res images, and they'll have some sort of population v price v interest (hits) equation churning away somehere as the project goes on.

Based on that theory, at Google Earth; Paisley and Aiberdeen rate higher than Embra!

http://www.cardross.org/photos/comparisons.php

Interesting site from the supporters of the retainment of St Peters.

Today's The List has the following:

The ownerd of St Peter's Seminary at Cardross have been accused of woeful neglect following the desecration of the A-listed building's altar by vandals. The Archdiocese of Glasgow has repeatedly failed to secure the building, which was voted Scotland's most important modern building by architecture magazine Prospect in October. Meanwhile, Historic Scotland and Argyll and Bute Council, the bodies responsible for protecting listed buildings, ave done nothing to enforce its maintenance and repair.