St Peter’s Seminary is a world-renowned embodiment of brutalist architecture in Cardross, Scotland. Built within a forest in 1966, it was originally used as a Seminary for Catholic priests. After a steep decline in student numbers (and a brief life as a drug rehabilitation centre) it closed entirely in 1987 before being fully abandoned in 1992. In 2019, after several years of negotiations between various parties to safeguard and restore the A-listed building, the Scottish Government conceded that it was not financially viable to maintain, and put the building into “curated decay” - a euphemism for managing its gradual deterioration and ultimate demise. Perhaps also a suitable metaphor for human existence.
Notably, in 2021, the Catholic Church transferred the site to new owners. The decay may yet receive new curation.
Taken on 35mm film, a selection of this work appeared as part of the Pleasure Scene group exhibition at Trafalgar Avenue Gallery, London, in July 2021.