To Have and To Hold: Future of a Contested Landscape. Book Cover.

To Have and to Hold: Future of a Contested Landscape

Published 2011

NVA’s latest publication, To Have and to Hold, Future of a Contested Landscape, launched to a full house at the Edinburgh International Book Festival this year.

The 128 page, full colour publication from NVA and Luath Press ltd, charts the story of St. Peter’s Seminary and Kilmahew Woodland in Cardross. Designed by Gillespie, Kidd & Coia, St Peter’s Seminary is widely regarded as one of the most significant modern buildings in Europe. Yet only 45 years after it was opened, the structure stands as a decaying shell, the victim of a policy change by the Catholic Church in the 1960s.

Four years ago the World Monuments Fund deemed the seminary significant enough to place it on the list of the ‘World’s 100 Most Endangered Sites’, and now there is a glimmer of hope. For the past two and a half years Glasgow-based public art charity NVA have been working with a number of partners to develop a plan for the Kilmahew woodland, which includes the former St Peter’s seminary.

The book, which was funded by Scottish Government and Creative Scotland, and supported by British Council, is brought to life with contributions from academics, artists, writers, architects and landscape architects who have collated their thoughts, opinions, options and possibilities in a discursive set of texts. “To Have and to Hold, Future of a Contested Landscape” raises questions about how we deal with history and heritage, conservation and preservation, ownership and decision making about such sites.

Buy your copy now for £15.00 + £4.85 P&P using the button below**:

**Please note, this button is for UK postage only. International sales, please email: contact@nva.org.uk to purchase your copy.

To find out more about To Have and To Hold at the Venice Architectural Biennale please click HERE.

To find out more about NVA’s involvement with St Peter’s Seminary and Kilmahew Woods please click HERE

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