After two visits in the last week I still feel I would like to go back here it has so many interesting and lovely aspects.

Known originally as Barr House, St Joseph's was built by David King in 1796 for James Adam, who sold it in 1820 to William Macdowall, one time Provost of Glasgow. He renamed the building Garpel, and then Garthland, extending it northwards (1820-1935).
Henry Macdowall, 26th of Garthland, sold the building to the Mill Hill Foreign Missionary Society at which time it became the St Joseph´s College for Missionaries (1935-1955), in 1936 they added a 7-bay dormitory block to right, and then in 1943 the chapel was built and designed by Thomas Smith Cordiner with a sculpture of Saint Joseph by John Mortimer flanking stained glass windows and Art Deco pink and black marble altar pieces with mosaic panels and wooden pews. The Mill Hill Missionaries from London during The Second World had a number of problems. The Dutch students were no longer able to travel to London. Most of the German-speaking students were drafted into the Wehrmacht. The British and Irish students were left in a college that was far too big for them. In November 1941, it was decided to evacuate the college to Lochwinnoch in Scotland where they remained until 1945.
In 1955 it became St Joseph´s Nursing Home till 2004, from then it has remained uninhabited. Although on the 7th April 2008 Renfrewshire Council passed planning permission to convert the building into flats.

The original house with the 1943 dormitory in the background to the right.

The chapel which was built in 1943 with a sculpture of Saint Joseph by John Mortimer

Classic peely wallpaper corridor

Main stairway - all the metal banistors have been removed

Classic nets

lampshade that survives



Inside the dormatory wing






on to the chapel














Chavs have damaged all the faces in the beautiful stained glass windows

Enter the confession box

and finally a roof top shot - note the removal of the slates - water ingress is already damaging inside - theres also been a fire.