27/08/2026
Drone Survey Spotlight: St John's Seminary, Wonersh 🏛️
We recently carried out a full drone roof survey of one of Surrey's most striking historic buildings—St John's Seminary in Wonersh, near Guildford—covering every roof area of the site, including the chapel.
St John's was founded in 1889 by Bishop John Butt, who purchased the 60-acre site to establish a seminary for training Catholic priests for the Diocese of Southwark. While the permanent buildings were under construction, the seminary opened temporarily in Henfield, Sussex—with its first rector, Francis Bourne, who went on to become Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. The main buildings were officially completed and opened on 8 September 1891, with the chapel following in 1896.
Designed by the prolific ecclesiastical architect Frederick Walters in the striking Dutch/Jacobean style, the building is constructed largely in red brick with gauged and ribbed brick dressings, stone detailing, and slate roofs — topped with a distinctive copper spirelet over a domed lantern on the roof ridge. It's been Grade II listed since 1986, recognised for its architectural and historic interest.
St John's trained Catholic priests for well over a century before closing in 2021, and even had a moment of screen fame as a filming location for the ITV series Foyle's War. It's now set for an exciting new chapter, with planning permission in place to convert the building into residential apartments and houses.
We were proud to support this project with a full roof condition survey, helping the team behind the redevelopment understand exactly what they're working with before bringing this iconic building back to life.
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